Newhomes for GCR ‘ Barnum’ and Handyman IN BRIEF

THE National RailwayMuseumhas received twobids for unrestored 3ft gaugeHudswell Clarke0- 4- 0ST No. 573 of 1900 Handyman after itwas decided to‘ gift’it toamoresuitable venue.

Built for the Burton Ironstone Company in Northamptonshire, it finished its working life at Scaldwell Quarry, which ceased operations in 1963.

Handyman was then bought by a group of enthusiasts who saved it from being scrapped, but the locomotive was never fully restored and was eventually acquired by the NRM in 2008, as an example of the many thousands of small industrial steam locomotives that worked all over the UK.

Policy

However, sinceacosmetic restoration project ended, Handyman hasbeen stored inadismantled state onawagon in theYork museum’sNorthYard for manyyears. The ScienceMuseum Group ( SMG) hasapolicy of transferring items to other museums and public collections if they are better suited to displayor research by another public institutionor if it isaduplicate of an itemalready in the National Collection. TheSMGalreadyhas the similar standardgauge Black, Hawthorn& Co Ltd, 0- 4- 0ST Bauxite atYork.

One of the groups looking to take

Handyman is the Halesworth to Southwold NarrowGauge Railway Society. If a suchamove goes ahead, it will be the seventh locomotive to be transferred from the collection, following the moves in recent years of LSWR T3 4- 4- 0 No. 563 to the Swanage Railway ( nowbeing overhauled to working order at Bill Parker’s Flour Mill workshop at Bream in the Forest of Dean); GWR 2- 8- 0 No. 2818 to STEAMat Swindon ( picture, page 82); and Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns 0- 4- 0ST No. 7063 of 1942 Eustace Forth

( picture, page 34).

Disposals

Also on theSMG’s latest list of objects for transfer is 1910- built GreatCentral Railway‘ Barnum’OpenThird

No. DE320709 ( formerly E5666E), currently stored at the GCR ( Nottingham), anda1920- built GCR Metropolitan Cammell singlebolster wagon which becameNorthYorkshire Moors RailwayNo. 110, and16T mineral wagon No. ADB 192437 of 1946, which was restoredbyHMSSultan apprentices in October 1990.

Furthermore, available for transfer is LMS 16T ballast plough brake No. 197266 of 1932 and diesel electric rail crane No. R1210 made by Coles Cranes Ltd of Sunderland in 1955.

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