the NWR locomotive files

file 14-NWR number 11-'Oliver'

Name:Oliver
Number: 11
Engine type: GWR 14xx
Wheel arrangement: 0-4-2
Fuel type: coal
Shed designation: currently Arlesburgh
Primary job: passenger engine on the The Arlesburgh Branch Line.

Number 1405 was built in 1933 at Swindon works for branch line passenger work on the GWR. 1405 was unlike most great Western tank engine at the time as most of his predecessors were of the pannier design and most weren't compatible with the auto coach system.

The auto coach system was a system which allowed the engines to be driven from a coach, which is like driving a two ended diesel in modern day terms.

In 1963 1405, now know as Oliver, lost his branch line in the beaching cuts which made him a redundant engine in the eyes of British railways. Luckily for Oliver he and one of his auto coaches, called Isabel, were stationed at Llandudno Junctio in North Wales. They would stay here for 3 years until the two met a break van called toad. The three quickly became friends and Oliver decided to keep toad around in the yard for company.

Later in that year Oliver was confirmed to be on the scrap list, which was the last blow for the tank engine. The very next night Oliver, along with Isabel and toad made a runner North. Towards the island of sodor.

The original plan was to hitch rides on scrap trains as far as they could but once word got out of the 'rouge engines' movement (the rouge engines movement is where engines would vanish and go on the run from British railways) a different strategy was needed. The new strategy was running at night and as far as they could.

Eventually and unfortunately, Oliver would run out of steam, in no where else then Barrow in furness. The tank engine and his friends were devastated but eventually a rescue would come and am sure you know the rest.

Input from the real engine
Oliver only had one thing to add to this story and it was the fact that it was toad and Isabel's idea to escape to sodor and not his.