5786 was built by the Great Western Railway in 1930 and, unlike many of its siblings, didn't get scrapped by British Railways, but was sold on to The London Transport Passenger Board.
It was one of over 800 57xx Pannier Tank locomotives built. They were used mainly for heavy shunting, short distance goods and branch line passenger duties. Built at Swindon, 5786 entered service in January 1930 at Aberdare shed. 5786 remained in South Wales throughout its life with the GWR and BR(W). Its last depot was Cardiff Canton.
In 1958 it was overhauled at Swindon and transferred to London Transport where it was painted Maroon and numbered L92.
The next eleven years were spent working maintenance trains, goods traffic and shunting from Lille Bridge and Neasdon Depots.
In the autumn of 1969 5786 was bought by the Worcester Locomotive Society and spent many years at Hereford before that site closed and the Society moved its base to the South Devon Railway. The engine had a major overhaul at Buckfastleigh and is in regular service on the line.
In 2013 the major rebuild of 5786 culminated in it being painted in its former London Transport livery again to mark 150 years since the world’s first underground train pulled out of Paddington station to make the first passenger journey – 3½ miles under the streets of London from Paddington to Farringdon and into the record books.
