Kirtley No. 158A is moved to Shildon
THE oldest surviving Midland Railway locomotive, Matthew Kirtley 156 class 2-4-0 No. 158A, has been moved to Locomotion at Shildon after 46 years at the Midland Railway-Butterley.
On July 6, No. 158A was pulled out of the Matthew Kirtley building at Swanwick Junction and towed to Butterley behind recently restored diesel shunter Castle Donnington Power Station No. 4 in preparation for its journey north.
At Butterley it was pushed into the paint shop by Class 11 No.12077 for safe storage, ready for transportation to Shildon on July 12.
It was built as No. 158 at Derby in 1866 as one of a class of 29 for express passenger work, the suffix being added in 1896.
At the time it ran into the railway's London terminus at King's Cross two years before St Pancras opened in 1868.
Several rebuilds took place throughout its long working life and it received a Johnson boiler and cab, a Deeley/Fowler smokebox and Stanier chimney, but the frames are Kirtley. After 81 years of service, it was withdrawn from Nottingham as station pilot in 1947.
Recognising the importance of the class, the LMS set aside the first of the class, No. 156, for preservation but William Stanier decided against this and it was scrapped. However, No. 158A survived and was preserved at Derby Works.
Now part of the National Collection, in 1975 it moved to Butterley for static display on a longterm loan in an agreement which has now expired.
An NRM spokesman said the move will “allow further conservation and mechanical assessment following a course of asbestos remediation which was successfully carried out by specialist contractors at Butterley.”The cladding, some pipework and fittings are already at Locomotion pending further conservation.
Following this, a decision will be made regarding its future. There is a possibility it may return to Swanwick Junction.