ROUNDHOUSE GET-TOGETHER PROPOSED FOR ‘TERRIER 150’
Owners of preserved ‘Rooters’ approached – including Canada-based Waddon.
Barrow Hill Roundhouse is considering a significant gathering of ‘Terriers’ for the 150th anniversary of the popular LBSCR class in 2022.
The suggested event, proposed in conjunction with Steam Railway, would be the culmination of two decades of themed events to be held at the Derbyshire engine shed, which has already featured the LMS, GWR and LNER, but so far not the Southern.
“It’s a joint aspiration at this stage,” Barrow Hill’s Mervyn Allcock said, “but it’s no secret that we’ve always wanted to host a Southern event, and what better way than to plan for it to coincide with this significant anniversary?” Initial contact with the owners of all ten surviving ‘Terriers’ has been made to gauge its feasibility, including the expatriated ‘A1’ No. 54 Waddon, which has resided at Exporail in Montreal since being donated by British Railways in 1963. It is one of few ex-main line British locomotives to have never returned from abroad in the preservation era.
Prior to the approach, the Canadian Railway Historical Association’s President Robert Robinson had told the magazine: “As you know we were happy to loan [‘A4’] Dominion of Canada for two years to the NRM for its celebrations a few years ago, with the quid pro quo being a complete cosmetic restoration. If some recognised UK institution wanted to make a proposal to borrow Waddon for some similar purpose, our board of directors would consider it.”
Andrew Goodman, who masterminded the logistics of returning Dominion of Canada and Dwight D. Eisenhower from North America in 2012 has offered his support to the idea of repatriating Waddon for a loan spell.
“Getting Waddon back wouldn’t be too difficult compared to the scale and complexities of returning the ‘A4s’ across the Atlantic in 2012,” he told the magazine. “We had to transport them across Canada and America by rail to the docks in Halifax [Nova Scotia], whereas the ‘Terrier’ could go by road, which would be much simpler. We will help and assist in any way we can.”
As detailed last issue, two of the remaining nine UK-based ‘Rooters’ are owned by the Terrier Trust and based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway, which is aiming to have both in steam for the 150th.
Of the proposal for a major class assembly, trust spokesman Graham Hukins said: “A gathering such as this fits perfectly with the Terrier 150 project, which includes telling as much of the history of the class as possible – and something that evokes the atmosphere of the Victorian engine sheds that housed the locomotives when new, would unquestionably fit the bill. Of course, the event would have to make financial sense for the trust and our partners at the KESR, but the first step is to make sure the current overhaul of No. 3 Bodiam is complete so she is available in her original LBSCR guise of No. 70 Poplar.” (Appeal details at www. terriertrust.org.uk).
SR editor Nick Brodrick added: “We must emphasise that this event is at the proposal stage, and it is dependent on a number of factors falling into place. But if it can be pulled off, it would be something that enthusiasts can really look forward to beyond the current crisis.
“Yes, Barrow Hill may be some way off Southern territory, but the potential for seeing these amazing survivors arranged around the turntable, redolent of New Cross Gate in the Victorian era, or Fratton in the 1950s, more than compensates. Indeed, it has the potential to dovetail with a series of other ‘Terrier’ events on their home turf for the anniversary to make it a much wider celebration.”