‘Terrier’ returns to familiar territory for IoW loan spell
LBSCR A1X‘Terrier'No. 32678 Knowle will be spending part of the summer on the Isle of Wight after an overhaul during which it was refitted with an enlarged style of bunker it previously carried for a spell on the island 90 years ago.
The veteran Terrier Trust-owned 0-6-0T, a popular member of the Kent & East Sussex Railway fleet, returned to steam in December as Southern Railway No. 2678 in black livery with yellow ‘sunshine' lettering, and will be crossing the Solent in time for a month's stay on the Isle of Wight Railway in June.
Built at Brighton in July 1880 as No. 78, it worked at a number of locations, including London, before being shipped to the Isle of Wight in 1929 after being fitted with an extended bunker. It operated there as No. 14 Bembridge until May 1936, when it returned to the mainland to work the Hayling Island branch and also the original Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR), still with its extended bunker.
After a service life of no fewer than 83 years it was withdrawn from Brighton (75A) in October 1963 with 1,411,436 miles on the clock, and was bought by Butlins for display at Minehead holiday camp. In 1988, by now under new ownership, it arrived at the KESR, which had been reopened by preservationists following the line's closure in 1961. It re-entered traffic there in 1999 after a restoration that included the bunker being returned to its original smaller form.
Overhaul
However, during the two-year overhaul at the railway's Rolvenden depot from which it returned in December, the bunker was again enlarged to the Isle of Wight specification, a fitting modification for its month's visit to the island.
The resultant extra coal capacity also means it will become even more useful when it returns to the KESR after its island sojourn, and be more attractive to other heritage lines who may be seeking locomotives on loan.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on the overhaul of the railway's other A1X, BR No. 32670, which is jointly owned by the trust and the KESR. It was withdrawn in 2017 for work on its boiler, and this is being carried out under contract by the North Norfolk Railway at Weybourne, where it arrived in April 2019.
The aim is to finish this work in time for both ‘Terriers' to celebrate the 150th birthday next year of 1872-built No. 32670, and a significant milestone was reached in March with the rewheeling of the chassis. On completion the 0-6-0T will be outshopped in Stroudley green livery in its original LBSCR guise No. 70 Poplar.
To fulfil the ambition of the trust and the railway to have both locomotives in steam next year, an appeal was launched to raise £150,000 to ensure the project's completion. To date £110,000 has been raised, and the trust has announced a drive to raise the final £40,000.
Trust chairman Tom White told Heritage Railway: “The return of Knowle is the first achievement of our Terrier 150 Project, and we are sure visitors to the Isle of Wight and Kent & East Sussex railways will enjoy seeing the locomotive in gleaming new livery.
“We are still seeking donations to achieve our second goal, the completion of the overhaul of its older sister Poplar,
so we can enjoy celebrating its 150th birthday next year with both locos in operation together.”
➜ To donate to the Terrier 150 appeal and help ensure these two veteran locos are able to steam together, visit www. terriertrust.org.uk/appeal or contact: The Secretary, The Terrier Trust, Holgates, 10 Virgins Lane, Battle, TN33 0JH.