Taken 17/10/20 at Cranmore and this is ex-GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T No.5542.
The shirt button roundel appears to be one of the less popular liveries to replicate in preservation and it perhaps isn't the most pleasing. First used in 1935 it was superseded by the initials GWR in 1942.
Taken 17/10/20; The East Somerset Railway's plan had been to operate the 2020 season with Ivatt 2MT No 46447 and ex-GWR 45XX Class No 4555 (which is on loan to the ESR from Dartmouth for three years). However No. 4555 had to be withdrawn with fire box problems and is currently being repaired at Tyseley. In the interim ex-GWR 4575 Class No. 5542 has been borrowed from the South Devon Railway for the remainder of 2020.
Taken 17/10/20: a history of No. 5542 from the excellent Preserved British Steam website:
"5542 was built at Swindon in 1928 at a cost of £3,602 and allocated to Gloucester Horton Road. Over the next 33 years it spent time at Bristol, Taunton (where it spent most time), Newton Abbot and Westbury where it spent the last two years of its service before being withdrawn in 1961 having run for 987,429 miles. During its working life it had used 6 boilers of which the last was built in 1943 and had previously been used on 4558, 5551 and 5501 before being fitted to 5542 in 1958 during a heavy overhaul.
Whilst at Taunton 5542 worked all four branches that once radiated from there. It had a tablet exchange apparatus fitted which allowed for faster trains on longer branches, particularly useful on the Yeovil, Barnstaple and Minehead branches.
It was sold to Woodham Brothers for scrap.
After 14 years in Barry it was sold to the West Somerset Railway Association in 1976. In 1979, a cash strapped West Somerset Railway Company, which had loaned much of the finance for the original purchase required repayment thereby forcing the sale of 5542 and 5521. Members of the Dean Forest Railway bought 5521 and a Taunton based group of active W.S.R. supporters formed the 5542 Fund to save and restore it for use on the West Somerset Railway.
Subsequently a limited company was formed with an authorised share capital of £100,000.
The 5542 Fund then continued as a support and fund raising body.
5542 was used on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for some BBC filming for the series “The Land Girls” in July 2009.
An overhaul of 5542s boiler began in October 2011 and resulted in 5542 running again in May 2012.
The locomotive which is owned by 5542 Ltd is currently operational on the South Devon Railway with a boiler certificate that expires in 2022.
In August 2019 it was revealed that the locomotive would be maintained by the South Devon Railway for the next 30 years under a long term lease agreement between the line and the owners (5542 Ltd).
The locomotive will operate on the East Somerset Railway until the end of 2020."
Taken 17/10/20; the snap from the Signal Box steps that everyone takes when at Cranmore!
A bunker first snap taken 17/10/20; A history of the 4575 class from the internet:
preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/4575-2-6-2t-gwr-modi...
"These engines (4575–4599 and 5500–5574) were developed from the 4500 class with larger side tanks which had sloping tops to increase water capacity. [100 examples were built between 1927 and 1929]
The class worked extensively in Wales and the West of England. One of the star turns of the class was hauling part of the Cambrian Coast Express to Pwllheli in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as parts of the Cornish Riviera Express. Despite their apparently small size, they were capable of good acceleration, and could haul passenger trains of up to 11 coaches.
A number were fitted with auto apparatus in 1953 to enable them to run push-pull trains on South Wales lines with auto trailers.
The first withdrawal of the 4575 class was 4586 in 1956 whilst the last eleven remained in service until 1964. Of the eleven withdrawn in 1964 six were based at Southall, two each at Yeovil Town and Gloucester and one at Taunton. No fewer than 11 of these tank engines survived."