Saving England’s oldest Peckett

FURTHER to the article in the February issue (page 65), readers may be unaware that 0-4-0ST locomotive Bear (No. 614 of 1896) was originally donated to the Locomotive Club of Great Britain by Colvilles Ltd in early 1967.

After the handover, the locomotive was hauled from Mossend to the then SRPS depot at Falkirk on February 2, 1967, with myself and the late Malcolm Burton travelling on the engine as ‘caretakers’. (Colour slides of the move to

Falkirk are held by the Online Transport Archive.)

In 1969, when Bowaters decided to close its railway, much of the rolling stock and infrastructure was leased to the LCGB and what became the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway commenced operation in 1970. The Peckett remained at Falkirk until August 21, 1971 when it was placed on a low-loader for the journey to Kemsley Down, being safely off-loaded there three days later. It is interesting to note that this move cost £250.

The loco remained at Kemsley after the S&KLR became a limited company and registered charity independent of the LCGB, and ownership was transferred to the S&KLR Ltd on July 21, 1996. I signed as a witness on the official documents both when the locomotive was passed to the S&KLR and the latest transfer of ownership on December

12, 2023.

Charles Firminger, President of the LCGB