GWR 4900 Class 4936 Kinlet Hall

4936 Kinlet Hall
4936 Kinlet Hall at Toddington Station in 2005
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Charles Collett Build date June 1929
Specifications Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Career Operators Vintage Trains Class 4900 Hall Class Retired January 1964 Restored 2000 Disposition Operational, mainline certified

The Great Western Railway (GWR) steam locomotive No. 4936 Kinlet Hall is a preserved 4-6-0 Hall class locomotive that is currently (as of April 2015^[update]) certified for mainline operation on Network Rail.

Kinlet Hall was built in June 1929 at Swindon Works, at a cost of £5,209, and was first allocated to Chester. The locomotive first worked with a 3500-gallon tender, but this was changed for a 4000-gallon tender in 1938.

In 1941, Kinlet Hall ran into a bomb crater after a bombing raid at Plymouth, and was severely damaged.

In 1955, Kinlet Hall was fitted with manganese steel liners (rather than the usual bronze liners) to the main axle boxes. This was unique among GWR locomotives.

At various times, the locomotive was allocated to Cardiff Canton, Laira, Old Oak Common, Oswestry, Oxley, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Stafford Road, Swindon, Truro, and finally Cardiff East Dock.

After completing more than one million miles (1,600,000 km) in service, Kinlet Hall was withdrawn from service with British Railways in January 1964 and sold for scrap to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales in June later that year.

In 1981, it was bought by the Kinlet Hall Locomotive Company and moved to Peak Rail at Matlock where restoration work began. It was moved to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in 1985, followed by the Llangollen Railway in 1992. In 1996, it was moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works for final restoration.