RPSI’s Peter Scott is up there with the angels!
THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s steam supremo, Peter Scott MBE, has been declared a Heritage Angel.
Peter, 71, scooped the Best Craftsperson in the Heritage Rescue and Repair category of the Ulster Architectural and Heritage Society’s Heritage Angels Awards for 2021.
Peter was presented with the award during a celebratory dinner at Belfast City Hall on November 23 when he was commended by judges for leading the restoration and return to traffic of the RPSI’s Great Northern Railway of Ireland Q 4-4-0 No. 131, built by Neilson Reid in 1901.
No. 131 returned to traffic in 2018 and was chosen by Northern Ireland
Railways to mark the company’s 50th anniversary, when it hauled a special train from Belfast Great Victoria Street to Whitehead on April 4, 2018.
Peter said: “I was delighted to have received the award; it is a tribute to all involved in restoring No. 131 from what was basically a kit of parts into a fully-working main line locomotive that is a valued member of our fleet.
“I was also able to tell the audience that the engine would be out on our Santa specials in December.”
Belfast Lord Mayor Coun Kate Nicholl addressed the dinner gathering and said: “The Heritage Angel Awards, which are backed by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our heritage and built environment.”
Peter, who was awarded the MBE in 2008 for his work with the RPSI’s steam locomotives, was the only craftsperson involved in railway restoration to be presented with a
Heritage Angel award this year.
Other awards were given to people in the architectural and building restoration fields at the special ceremony.