HNRC acquires preserved ‘25’ for main line duties

A preserved Class 25 is set for a return to the main line, after being bought by Harry Needle Railroad Company.

HNRC has bought 25057 from the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) and intends to pair it with 25313, which the company’s Managing Director Harry Needle already owns.

Speaking exclusively to RAIL, Needle said the new purchase will be restored to main line condition, and that both Type 2s will be dualbraked with steam heat boilers. He hinted that a contract has been lined up for their work, but declined to say what that work will be.

25057 is currently stored out of service at the NNR, while 25313 is stored out of use at the Wensleydale Railway. They will be moved by road to Barrow Hill for restoration - both will need to be equipped with all the relevant safety systems required for the main line.

Neither has run on the national network since 1987. They will also be the first Class 25s capable of operating nationally on the main line since D7622 (25322) Tamworth Castle was withdrawn in 1991. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s D7628 (25278) Syballa is passed to run on the main line, but only between Pickering, Whitby and Battersby.

The former NNR locomotive was built at Derby Locomotive Works and delivered to Cricklewood in 1963. It was withdrawn on March 15 1987, and preserved at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton Road from 1988 until 1991, when the NNR bought it. The locomotive has been a solid performer in Norfolk, but has suffered mechanical faults in recent years.

Meanwhile, HNRC has also been busy with other assets based in Norfolk. Engineers have resurrected 20069 (stored at the Mid-Norfolk Railway, MNR), and this is to be used for component recovery. The ‘20’ was fired up in mid-May following a lengthy period stored at Thuxton. It has not hauled a train since 2011, and was bought by HNRC in 2016.

Also at the MNR, HNRC’s 31255 has arrived from the Colne Valley Railway, and will be returned to operational condition before joining the railway’s fleet. It replaces 31235, which has been out of use since a major engine failure in 2013. The latter has left the MNR for the Dean Forest Railway, following a sale to a private individual.