‘F5’ TO BE BUILT AT NORTH NORFOLK?

Holden ‘F5’ No. 789 could be built in East Anglia after all, with a move to the North Norfolk Railway on the cards. It was the original intention that the frames of the Great Eastern 2‑4‑2T would be erected at Tyseley this year ‑ but due to a lack of space at the Birmingham works, the Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust has commenced discussions with the ‘Poppy Line’ about the possibility of continuing the build at Weybourne’s engineering facility, which was expanded with the NNR’s purchase of Chatham Steam Ltd in 2013. ‘F5’ Project CME Elliot Powick of Stafford Road Design has finalised the CAD work for the building of the frames. The NNR’s CME, Peter Philips, described the ‘F5’ as “a prestigious project and a locomotive ideally suited to the needs of the North Norfolk Railway.” A move back to East Anglia would bring the ‘F5’ full circle, its construction having started at a private workshop in Ovington, Essex, in 2003.