The Midland Railway Trust is pleased to announce that it will be having a very special visitor over the May Bank Holiday of the 5th to 7th May.
The visitor is Furness Railway No 20 a locomotive built in 1863 by Sharp Stewart & Co of Manchester.
This locomotive is a remarkable survivor as the growth in traffic and in the development of locomotives saw it replaced by larger machines and it was withdrawn in 1870. The locomotive was rebuilt with a saddle tank and sold to a steelworks in Barrow-in – Furness where it remained at work for 90 years.
Following withdrawal it eventually acquired by the Furness Railway Trust as a kit of parts.
In one of the great railway restoration stories the Furness Railway Trust completely rebuilt the locomotive back to its original guise and into full working order.
The locomotive will be hauling the Midland Railway Trusts vintage train throughout the weekend with coaches as old as the locomotive itself.
The vintage train includes a Midland Railway four wheeled coach dating from 1865 , a Midland six wheeled coach from 1884, a Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast six wheeled coach from 1896, and the Midland Railway royal saloon from 1912.
Alan Calladine, the Midland Railway Trust Development Office said “ It is a great honour to see this remarkable locomotive at the Midland Railway –
Butterley. It is a great piece of railway restoration and will look very good with our vintage train. There will also be volunteers around in costume to complete the picture.”
http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk
