Horden is back in traffic for first time in 49 years
ANDREW Barclay 0-6-0ST No. 1015 of 1904 Horden has returned to steam after 49 years following the completion of a seven-year restoration at its Tanfield Railway home.
Horden was officially relaunched into traffic over the weekend of June 12/13.
Supplied new for the opening of Horden Colliery on the Durham coast, entering service as No. 1 Horden, the locomotive has been returned to asbuilt condition complete with intricate paintwork and gold leaf lettering.
Dignitaries from Horden were among the invited guests on June 12 for the official launch. Following a speech by the National Railway Museum's senior curator of rail transport and technology, Anthony Coulls, a bottle of beer was smashed over the buffer beam.
Smashing the bottle was Peter Weightman, the man who saved Horden from scrap in 1972 and eventually masterminded the restoration. The work was carried out almost entirely by a Tanfield volunteer team.
The restoration team had to overcome obstacles ranging from historical accident damage to the theft of £20,000 worth of components during the first coronavirus lockdown.
History brought to life
Peter said: “It's been a long project – lots of really hard work has gone into it, but I have to say I think it was worth it for the end result. Before the restoration many people wrote Horden off as a bit of a no-hoper.
“It was in a very battered state and had suffered collision damage when working for the National Coal Board.
“But we could see just how great Horden could be if fully restored. Seeing it back in steam pulling trains for the first time in 49 years is really satisfying.”
On June 13, Horden worked its first passenger trains. Demand was strong, with visitors coming from throughout the country for their chance to ride behind it.
Tanfield general manager David Watchman said: “We met some great people who remember Horden from its time working at collieries in east Durham. They brought the history of the locomotive and the area to life.”
Horden Colliery was once the biggest in the world and employed thousands of men, but the locomotive carrying its name is now one of the largest remaining artefacts from the colliery.
Horden Collieries Ltd owned Blackhall, Horden and Shotton Collieries, and the locomotives they owned moved around between them. Horden was once moved by road in steam, over four track panels at a time, between Shotton and Horden Collieries to avoid high NER movement charges.
In June 1969 it was sent north to Ashington Central Workshops in Northumberland for overhaul, the only NCB Durham Area steam locomotive ever sent there. It returned to Horden Colliery in spring 1970 and ran there alongside Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0ST No. 3513 of 1923 Stagshaw, which is also part of the Tanfield fleet. While at Shotton Colliery, Horden collided head-on with a BR Q6 0-8-0 and still carries a bent front buffer beam.
Into preservation
In September 1972, Shotton Colliery closed. Horden was sold to the Stephenson Hawthorn Locomotive Trust and moved to NCB Backworth Colliery in Northumberland for storage. Following further periods of NCB storage, it moved to Tanfield in June 1980.
Horden was assessed for restoration in 2011 and work began in 2012, when the boiler was lifted out of the frames. In March 2013, the wheels were removed from the frames.
In 2015 Horden was given new tyres which had been supplied direct from Barclay when it was first preserved.