CORRIS CELEBRATION FOR ‘EDWARD THOMAS’ 100TH
Kerr, Stuart ‘Tattoo’ is returning home for the first time in 25 years for its centenary.
Talyllyn Railway-based
Kerr, Stuart 0-4-2ST No. 4 ‘Edward Thomas’ is to return to its spiritual and nearby Corris Railway home for the first time in 25 years for its centenary in 2021.
The 1921-built ‘Tattoo’ will line up alongside its 2005-built Corris-based replica, No. 7, at the Corris Railway’s annual gala weekend on May 8/9 next year, the first time since 1996 that ‘Edward Thomas’ has run at the railway for which it was originally built. While at the Corris, it will haul a rake of recreated CR carriages and vintage wagons and is also expected to double-head with No. 7.
The following month, the pair will travel to the Talyllyn Railway for a special gala on June 12/13, where they will work alongside the only other surviving original Corris locomotive – Hughes ‘Falcon’ 0-4-2ST No. 3 ‘Sir Haydn’. It is planned to pair all three locomotives with original Corris carriage No. 17, which is currently being worked on by Stanegate Restorations and should be complete by then, as well as an original Corris brake van, now TR van No. 6.
It will be the second time
CR No. 7 has visited the Talyllyn; its first visit in October 2011 highlighted the need for improvements in its front end design. Said Corris Railway press officer John Simms: “It will be interesting to see how the locomotive performs on its return visit and when it is able to stretch its wheels again.”
2021 is also the 70th anniversary of the preservation of the Talyllyn Railway. The line will be marking the milestone over the weekend of May 14-16; details will be announced at a later date. However, this event, and the centenary celebrations for ‘Edward Thomas’, will only go ahead if the coronavirus crisis has passed.