PECKETT ‘IVOR’ PAYS TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE STAFF
David Buck’s Aveling & Porter railway traction engine Sir Vincent was not the only standard gauge locomotive in steam in April (SR505), as Paul Walley’s Peckett 0-4-0ST ‘Ivor’ also got in on the action - albeit supported on large wooden trestles.
The engine was steamed up on April 23 at a private site near Congleton, Cheshire (where Mr Walley’s ex-Barry ‘28XX’
No. 2859 is also under restoration) and the 1920-built locomotive (Works No. 1555), still in its preservation-era guise as ‘Ivor the Engine’, blew its whistle at 8pm as part of the weekly national show of appreciation for NHS staff fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Walley said: “The steam-up was purely for the NHS tribute; we wanted to play our part, but at the same time, we had a lot of friends and family suggesting it would be a good and morale-boosting thing to do. The feedback was great, especially from the children.
“It was a lot of work, paperwork and effort for just two minutes’ fun at low pressure, but no complaints when you consider the magnitude of the effort and dedication given by the NHS and its staff.”
●● Work No. 2859 was also “coming along well” said Mr Walley. “The locomotive is basically fully stripped down to the bare frames and reassembly has started, many new items have been cast and fabricated, but there’s still a long way to go.
“Some original items have been purchased to date but we’re still on the lookout for many more.”