WEARDALE RAILWAY TRUST

PRESS RELEASE :

Weardale Railway Steaming Ahead

North East Steam Loco Returning Home

The recently reopened Weardale Railway has just announced it has purchased its first working steam locomotive. It has been running diesel powered trains since August of this year whilst the hunt for a suitable steam locomotive was underway.

The hunt led to the Colne Valley Railway in Essex where a  privately owned  steam engine was found to be for sale. It was built in 1954 in Newcastle by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns and ran for a while pulling passenger trains on the NCB system in Northumberland before moving to a heritage railway in East Anglia where it was restored to working order. 

The purchase was agreed on October 5^th and finalized on the 14^th following a detailed inspection. The purchase was made possible by a grant from the Northern Rock Foundation, with further generous contributions from a Railway Trust member, Mr Ronald Enticott, and funds from the Sir James Knott Trust and from the Trusts own reserves. 

It is hoped to bring the engine to Weardale within the next two weeks and have it available for services in the very near future. 

Trust Chairman Kevin Hillary said “ We are overjoyed to have our own steam locomotive. It’s an ideal engine for our line and it has the added benefit of having been locally built and operated, it is a part of North East railway history. So, many thanks to those who helped fund the purchase of the loco and to the team of Trust members who scoured the country to find it and negotiate the purchase”. 

The Weardale Railway is running between Stanhope and Wolsingham every weekend until December 3^rd, at which time the weekend Santa specials will commence. The railway will then run daily between Boxing Day and January 1^st. Ring 0845 600 1348 for details of times or visit www.weardale-railway.org. 

(For the technically minded the locomotive is an 0-6-0 tank engine , NCB no 40, weighs 55tons, is 33ft long and carries up to 1,500 gallons of water and 2.5 tons of coal). 

CONTACT : Gerry Mudd : 07773 800 554 : 01932 889 811

                      Steve  Raine : 07802 242 229 : 0191 377 2728