PAIR OF PECKETTS MAKE PROGRESS IN PRESTON WORKS

Away from the hustle and bustle of the main workshops at the Ribble Steam Railway, two Pecketts are the focus of attention. In the Furness Railway Trust’s dedicated workshop area, 1937-built 0-4-0ST Caliban is undergoing restoration. The hefty ‘OY’ class (Works No. 1925) hauled the first passenger train on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in 1973, but has not run since the mid1980s and was stored at Carnforth before arriving at Ribble in 2015. Caliban has a long association with Preston, having been built for the Courtaulds textile factory at Red Scar in the city. It is currently lifted clear of its wheelsets for the frames to be overhauled. Just next door, in the dedicated paintshop at the RSR’s Chain Caul Road base, ‘W7’ class 0-4-0ST Works No. 2003 has been cosmetically restored for display in the museum building. The locomotive is on loan from the Middleton Railway, where it last worked in the 1990s and carried the name ‘John Blenkinsop’. It too has Preston connections, having been employed at the Atomic Energy Authority plant in nearby Salwick.

BOTH: MARK PEARCE The Middleton Railway’s Peckett 0-4-0ST Works No. 2003, cosmetically restored for display at the Ribble Steam Railway.

FAR LEFT: The frames of Peckett 0-4-0ST Caliban, lifted and packed clear of the wheels for overhaul.