NELPG remembers two stalwarts
The North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group lost two of its long-serving members in late 2016, with the deaths of Peter Proud and David Martin. David Martin, who was NELPG secretary from 1988 to 1991 and was also involved with the Erlestoke Manor and 76084 groups, died on December 8, shortly after the death of founder member Peter Proud on November 28. Born in Sunderland in 1948, Peter was a well known character in the famous ‘Master Neverers Association’ and, along with Kevin Hudspith and Kevin Gould, kickstarted NELPG to save ‘J27’ 0-6-0 No. 65894 and ‘Q6’ 0-8-0 No. 63395 at the end of steam in the North East in 1967. NELPG Chairman John Hunt remembers: “Peter’s role in NELPG was in sales, and he took to this task as the proverbial fish takes to water. One year as a bus conductor with Sunderland & District Omnibuses had taught him that he just loved taking money (legitimately) from people.” In 1977, he once again joined forces with Kevin Gould to buy ex-Barry ‘56XX’ 0-6-2T No. 6619, completing its overhaul within five years, and over the next 30 years it ran nearly 100,000 miles, mainly on the NYMR. Not content with one locomotive, the pair went into partnership in 1980 with Brian Cooke and Bert Hitchen to buy BR ‘4MT’ 4-6-0 No. 75014 from Barry, returning it to steam in late 1994 for main line service, particularly on the ‘Jacobite’. Says Mr Hunt: “It was a rare sight indeed to see Peter on the footplate on either of his locomotives, his excuse always being that the 5am starts never agreed with him! Despite spending a king’s ransom and most of his spare time on the locomotives, he would say he was quite content giving new generations the same feelings of well-being that he had experienced as a spotter.”