Comeback Hunslet Austerity for GCR debut

A J94-type Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST which has been under overhaul for more than 15 years is booked to make its Great Central Railway debut at a special event.

No. 3809 of 1954 (NCB

No. 18) is to make its comeback during the May 29-June 2 Steam to Mountsorrel event, along with the line’s Class 10 D4067, which is rarely used on passenger services.

The locomotive started its working life with the NCB in East Fife at Wellesley Colliery. In 1963 it was moved to the Dysart Central Workshops in Fife, where a new Giesl ejector chimney and blastpipe assembly were fitted, before it returned to Wellesley in 1964.

During 1966-68, it worked at Michael Colliery before going back to Wellesley again.

Saved

Withdrawn, in 1972 it ended up at Thomas Muir Scrap Merchants at Balbeggie in Fife, where it stayed until it was bought for heritage use in 1983.

Three years later, it was moved to Shipyard Services at Brightlingsea in Essex for an overhaul, before going to the North Norfolk Railway in 1988. There it ran in regular services and underwent two 10-yearly boiler overhauls.

In 2006 it was sold to the Weardale Railway, then two years later bought privately and moved to the GCR.

It is now owned by David Wright, director of Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough, which has been working on its overhaul and that of A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado.

David is also a driver on the GCR.

Night Gala

GCR general manager Malcolm Holmes said that after being out of action for many years, No. 18 will make its debut at the Mountsorrel branch event, in which services will run from Rothley to Mountsorrel Bond Lane, calling at Nunckley Hill.

Another imminent steam event at the GCR is the Night Gala on June 1, featuring passenger, goods and parcels trains all night.

➜ For details of special events, visit www.gcrailway.co.uk