2-6-0 9351 Class (WSR Mogul) No. 9351

Mike Lanning

9351 was originally built in 1934, as a 5101 Class 2-6-2T.

As 5193, it started its working life at Stourbridge Junction shed, where it was mainly used on passenger trains to Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton Low Level. It was based at Stourbridge for 18 years, except for a brief spell at Oxley shed in Wolverhampton between July and September 1939.

It was based at Truro depot in 1952 and moved to St Blazey in 1953. During May 1956, when the turntable at Penzance shed was undergoing repairs, 5193 and other members of the class were employed to haul the express passenger trains to avoid express locomotives having to run tender first.

It then moved to Whitland depot in October 1960, with a short stint at Taunton depot, before going back to Whitland in November.

5193 went into storage in March 1962, before moving to Severn Tunnel Junction in May and was withdrawn from service in June 1962. It arrived at Barry Scrapyard in September 1962.

In August 1979, 5193 was purchased by the 5193 Fund and moved by road to Steamport at Southport in August 1979. Following the closure of Steamport and the removal of the stock to the newly formed Ribble Steam Railway at Preston, 5193 was purchased by the West Somerset Railway and moved to Minehead in December 1998.

At the WSR AGM, it was announced that a plan had been drawn up to convert the 2-6-2T to a 2-6-0 tender locomotive, which would provide the railway with more operating flexibility, due to its larger water and coal capacity.

It was rebuilt by the West Somerset Railway into a 2-6-0, resembling a small boilered version of the GWR 4300 Class and numbered 9351.

Its current boiler certificate expires at the end of 2029.