Built: 1876      Maker: Sharp Stewart & Co Ltd       Makers’ No: 2578          Bought: 1911

Withdrawn by WC&P: 1937            Scrapped: 1937

Photo reproduced with permission from Old Portishead by John Macleay published by Stenlake Publishing

History:

This loco was built for the Watlington & Princes Risborough Railway, then bought by the GWR, where it was numbered 1384. It worked on the Lambourn Valley Railway, was rebuilt at Swindon, then used on the Wrington Vale Light Railway, followed by the Culm Valley branch. Hesperus was bought to replace Walton Park and was similar to the other 2-4-0T Sharp Stewart. Hesperus was involved in an accident in April 1934 when a small bridge near the Wharf collapsed taking the engine with it. There were no fatalities and the engine survived though it wasn’t used much afterwards. The photo above was taken before the Hesperus nameplate was added. The Hesperus nameplate is at the Somerset Heritage Centre, Taunton. Only one nameplate survives, the other being broken when trying to remove it. Driving wheel diameter was 4ft 2in. Livery was always dark (probably GWR) green. (Howard Carey)

Christopher Redwood’s book ‘The Weston Clevedon and Portishead Railway’ has scale drawings of Hesperus for modelling. See Books page. Drawings can also be bought from Col. Stephens Society.

See Models on Market for details of kits or models of this loco.