Like the later 1366s these outside cylindered engines were used on several dockside railways, the 1361s being allocated to Devon and Cornwall sheds for shunting on the quaysides handling mineral and china clay exports and around Plymouths dockyards.
This model of 1365 is painted in the early BR plain black livery with lion over wheel emblem, applied from 1949 until the change of emblem in 1957.
1365 was the last of the 1361 class saddle tank engines completed in 1910. For the next batch of locos, starting with number 1366 built in 1934, the design was revised to the more usual GWR pannier tank format but the design of the chassis remained almost unchanged. 1365 was based at Plymouth Laira shed in 1922, but on nationalisation was recorded as allocated to Millbay shed in the Plymouth docks complex. The 1950 records show 1365 at Laira again, however Millbay being so close by the locos at the dock shed could change daily.