Scotland'salmost preserved engines:BenAlderand Midlothian
WHENvisiting Dawsholmshed, Glasgowi,n September1963, I discoveredthree of the four historic steamengineswhichthe Scottish Regionhad restoredfor special workings:GNoSRNo.49 Gordon HighlanderN, BNo.256GlenDouglas andthe HR'JonesGoodsN' o.103.At the backof theseengines,lookingvery forlorn,wasthe lastof the HR's'Small Bens-' 4-4-0'2P'No.54398BenAlder.
Thisenginelastworkedtrains betweenGeorgemasJunctionand Thursoand,afterwithdrawalin February 1953,wasstoredalongsideLochgair Works,Invernessp, ending possible preservation.
It movedto Boatof Garten,where it washopedit might be restored to commemoratethe centenaryof the InvernessandNairnRailwayb, ut nothing happened.
In 1956the BTCproducedits list of steamenginesthat merited preservationand BenAlderwas included.Fiveyearslaterit visited St RolloxWorksw, herean estimatewas madeof the costsof restoration. Ayearlaterit arrivedat Dawsholm shedstill unrestoredand,when the shedclosedat the end of 1964,it went with the otherfour preservedengines to Parkhead.
Earlyin 1966the curatorof historic relicsannouncedBenAlderhad been removedfrom the list. In what seemed the CoventryCanala, nd parallelroad,at Sutton'sStop.
Therewasa weight restrictionoverthis structureand nothing largerthan Class2 at the time to be indecenthaste,on
April 18,1966,BenAldermadeitsfinal journey to a scrapyardat Wishaw.Here, it wasbrokenup,despitelast-minute attemptsto rescueit.
Lesswell known isthe fate of ex-NB AtlanticLNERNo.9875Midlothian.
During 1937/38 there wasextensive correspondencein TheScotsman newspaperpressingthe LNERto preserveone of theseengines.
EventuallyW, illiamWhitelaw,the LNER chairman,and NigelGresleyagreedthat Midlothianshouldbe preserved.
Neithermanseemedto knowthat sinceits withdrawalin June1937the enginewasalreadypartly dismantled at CowlairsWorks.Onecan imaginethe consternationwhen the Worksreceived the instructionto restoreit!
Theenginewasneverthelessrebuilt usingpartsfrom No.9876Waverley.
It wasrepaintedin LNERliveryand steamedout of the workson June15, 1938,remainingat work on special trainsfor another18months.
Onthe outbreakof the SecondWorld WarMidlothianreturnedto Cowlairs Worksandwascut up for scrap.
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oanyreadershavememoriesof othernearlypreservedenginesand picturesof them?Pleaselet usknow- Ed tenderengineswerepermittedto work this line.