Industrial News
After 42 years out of action, Swanscombe locomotive needs £60k for an 85th birthday return to steam.
A £60,000 appeal has been launched to return former Swanscombe cement works Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No. 6 to steam at the Middleton Railway.
Last steamed in 1975, No. 6 is from a group of six identical locomotives built for the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers internal railway at Swanscombe in Kent that became well known to enthusiasts in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Several from the batch survive, but none have steamed for many years. The Middleton Railway Trust has announced an appeal to return the locomotive to traffic for its 85th birthday in 2020. Restoration of the 15in-cylindered engine’s chassis is already at an advanced stage in the railway’s workshops at Moor Road, but years of working at Swanscombe, with its ‘hard’ water, have taken their toll on the boiler. Virtually all of the left-hand side of the firebox wrapper will need to be replaced, along with a slightly smaller section of the right-hand side platework, plus replacement of firebox stays and new boiler tubes. With the Middleton Railway already committed to a number of major infrastructure projects, the appeal has been launched to make the return to steam possible. Efforts are also being made to minimise costs, with much preparatory work being undertaken on the boiler of No. 6 in-house before it is handed over to an external contractor for completion. It is also planned to use the restoration as a training exercise for young volunteers. Although the Middleton Railway is normally associated with Leedsbuilt locomotives, this Newcastle-built Hawthorn Leslie (Works No. 3860) also has an important link to the Yorkshire city. Joseph Aspdin of Leeds invented cement in 1824 and, in 1848, his son William built a factory on the banks of the Thames at Northfleet, near Swanscombe, which helped launch the modern industry. Further details of the appeal are available on the Middleton Railway’s website, or from Moor Road station.