Penrhyn Vesta arrives at Bury Transport Museum
HUDSWELL, CLARKE 0-6-0T Works No. 1223 Vesta became the second locomotive from Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum to arrive at its new home on January 24, when it arrived at the Bury Transport Museum.
As reported in the previous issue, the 1916-built locomotive has moved from its previous home in North Wales to the museum on the East Lancashire Railway as part of the National Trust’s decision to focus its railway collection on the Penrhyn quarry story and disperse its non-Penrhynrelated exhibits elsewhere. Vesta has been placed on loan with the Bahamas Locomotive Society from the NT for an initial three years, after which ownership will be transferred to the ELR. The arrival of
Vesta comes just weeks after LMS Stanier three-cylinder 2-6-4T No. 2500 arrived on loan from the National Railway Museum (SR553), and the Leeds-built tank joins both it and ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 18in gauge Horwich works shunter 0-4-0ST Wren on display at Bury. Vesta was shunted into place by the ELR’s other resident Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0T – 1903-built Manchester Ship Canal No. 32 Gothenburg (Works No. 680) – providing a comparison between the two all-but identical locomotives.
Vesta spent its entire working life at the Hawarden Bridge
– later renamed Shotton – steelworks in North Wales, on the north bank of the River Dee. After retirement, Vesta was presented by the British Steel Corporation to the Industrial
Locomotive Society, which later gifted it to the National Trust. After a spell on display at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, it moved to Penrhyn.