6430 was built at Swindon in 1937. After a couple of years at Kidderminster shed, it spent most of its working life in South Wales and ended its career in the West Country at Yeovil shed.
BR motive power depot allocations since 1948.
| Date Arrived | Depot |
| January 1948 | Pontypool Road |
| September 1954 | Ebbw Junction |
| May 1959 | Severn Tunnel Junction |
| August 1961 | Radyr |
| May 1962 | Plymouth Laira |
| January 1963 | Tondu |
| March 1963 | Exmouth Junction |
| November 1963 | Yeovil Town |
6430 was fitted with auto train apparatus, as was the whole class.
Withdrawal in October1964 was followed by sale to John Cashmore Ltd as scrap, but immediately 6430 was re-sold to the Dart Valley Railway as a source of spares for 6412 and 6435. It was towed there by 6412 in June 1966.
Throughout much of its time on the Dart Valley Railway, 6430 was out of sight, painted in red oxide primer, which turned progressively more pink with age and wear. Eventually, with no hope of her being restored, she was put up for sale.
It was bought by Hugh Shipton as a kit of parts in 1989. It spent some time undergoing restoration at Long Marston MOD depot, along with 5199, before moving to Llangollen in 1996. Rebuilding the locomotive cost £200,000.
Having lost many parts to other engines, restoration work was slow. Repairs to its cracked cylinder blocks were tackled by the Severn Valley Railway during 1996, and new pannier tanks were fabricated and fitted at Llangollen. After manufacture of new axleboxes, re-wheeling took place in April 1998, and work progressed slowly towards its return to steam. New motion parts, coupling and connecting rods were cast and machined to size, whilst other parts were found elsewhere and purchased. A major problem was the badly corroded state of the boiler. This necessitated a completely new boiler barrel being made and fitted to the existing smokebox and firebox.
The work undertaken over eight years represents a major rebuild of an engine which once had no hope of being returned to steam, and has presented its owner and the loco department with many challenges.
6430 first moved under its own steam came in December 2003. Work to finish of the locomotive continued, and it undertook a successful trial run along the whole length of the Llangollen Railway in February 2004.
Following a successful period of operation 6430 was taken out of service for overhaul and returned to service on the Llangollen Railway in May 2015.
The locomotive will be hired to the Nene Valley Railway between April and October 2019.
Under an agreement reached in January 2022 the locomotive will remain on the South Devon Railway until the boiler certificate expires in February 2025. This follows completion of contract repairs on the South Devon Railway.
| Home Base | Current Status | Owner |
| Llangollen Railway | Operational | Hugh Shipton |
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 