RARE FOWLER RETURNS ‘HOME’ FOR RESTORATION
2ft gauge locomotive repatriated to the UK, a century after it was built.
AFowler 0‑4‑2T has returned to Britain from Australia for restoration, nearly a century after it was built.
Simon Hudson of the Leeds‑ based miniature steam engineering firm The Steam Workshop purchased 2ft gauge, 1924‑built Works No. 16341 from Richmond Light Railway owner Jeremy Martin in late 2019, and moved it to ‘Workshop X’ in Killamarsh, Derbyshire – where the bulk of the restoration will be carried out – on December 9.
One of five identical locomotives built by John Fowler & Co. – the firm better known for building traction engines and farming implements – for the Tully Central Sugar Mill in Queensland, Australia, No. 16341 was withdrawn from commercial service in 1961 and passed through a number of preservationists’ hands before it was repatriated in early 2019.
Mr Hudson told Steam Railway: “I’ve been looking for a 2ft gauge locomotive for a little while now. Miniature steam is the day job, so I wanted something different enough to get stuck into to try and reclaim a hobby back! The clincher was that we can legitimately paint it in Fowler brown, which has always been one of our favourite liveries.
“As yet, we don’t know what needs to be done; we will be pulling it apart over the next month or so. In terms of costs and timescales, I expect it to cost a lot more than I estimated and take twice as long as I hope!
“Optimistically, all the big bits are there and the boiler looks, on first inspection, to be in reasonable shape. Pessimistically, there are quite a few bits missing or damaged from the right‑hand side valve gear and most of the platework is missing or beyond repair, and we don’t know yet what the boiler will throw up.”
He added: “The jury is still out on exactly what form it will take once finished. The only real decision to be made is whether we put the original enclosed cab back or whether we do the colonial style open version. I flip flop on that daily, so we will see how we feel when it comes to cutting metal. She will possibly end up a convertible!”
In terms of the Fowler’s future, Mr Hudson said: “This isn’t a commercial proposition; it’s our toy, so we don’t intend to hire it out or work it hard to pay for itself.
I want to restore her once and then use her sensibly and sparingly for our own enjoyment, and to that end we will take it anywhere that will have us.”
He added that a visit to the Statfold Barn Railway was a possibility, as was taking
No. 16341 back to Tully Sugar Mills in the future.