BNFL Loco 2. I've saved it for preservation

[kevsmiththai]

Didn't realise I hadn't posted this here before

Before I retired it became apparent that the desel hydraulic fleet of Shunting locos at Sellafield Nuclear facility were going to be withdrawn as the new Clayton Battery electircs came on stream

 

The Loco that was my favourite when I was still on the shop floor was Loco 2 . This was the only Thomas Hill Vanguard/Valliant 0-6-0DH in the fleet 

 

 

It was built originaly built as a Rolls Royce Sentinel and worked at the Tinsley Park steelworks in Sheffield before being rebuilt by TH

 

Powered by a Cummins N14 diesel with an MIT Torque converter. Outside cranks

 

 

So I approached Sellafield to see if it was possible for it to be given to the Eden Valley railway at Warcop as a charitable donation. It went to the comittee and we waited. In the meantime my former team kept doing the scheduled maintenance

 

 

Just after Christmas 'Game on' The loco and all the spares unique to it would be avaialable to collect

 

Warcop bound

 

 

One very happy Grandson, who can't wait to drive it stood on the footplate this afternoon at Warcop

 

 

We can run the engine but Sellafield have taken a 'secret' PLC off so we have a bit of re-wiring to do. This will be the EVRs' first air braked shunter and will be extremely usefull ( The other shunters have Vacuum brakes)

 

More soon on some of the other interesting preserved stock at Warcop

 

Kev

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Excellent!

 

Sadly shunters, particularly industrial shunters, are seen as a bit of a disposable commodity at preserved railways; nothing more than a cheaper option for pw trains and shunting (I know that is their raison d'etre), to be binned off when something goes wrong. It is nice when they are preserved for themselves and are subject to some care and attention. They form a fascinating aspect of railway history and development.

 

As you say, the air brake capability does it no harm either!