British Rail devised the Class 14 locomotives to replace the seemingly indispensable ex-GWR Pannier Tanks which busily performed shunting duties, yard transfers and short haul freight services on Western Region tracks.
Entering service from July 1964, the 56 strong class of locomotives became known by enthusiasts as ‘Teddy Bears’, following a comment made by Swindown Works foreman, George Cole, ‘We’ve built the Great Bear, now we’re going to build a Teddy Bear’. The Great Bear being the GWR’s sole 4-6-2, No.111, built in 1908 and at the time the largest locomotive in Great Britain.
Several members of the class have been saved from the scrapper’s torch and can today be found working on various preserved railways around the country.
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