A second blue engine for the NYMR!

SOMERSET & Dorset Joint Railway 7F 2-8-0 No 53809 is to move to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on indefinite loan.

The locomotive, subject of a longrunning overhaul at the Midland Railway-Butterley, will, like its sister No 88 on the West Somerset Railway, also be painted in the S&D Prussian Blue livery which it never carried in service, it was understood.

On the NYMR, No 53809 will join BR blue-liveried A4 Pacific No 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley to return to traffic in the coming season.

The move to Pickering will be a much-delayed arrival for the 2-8-0, which was originally purchased from Barry scrapyard in 1975 by NYMR supporter Frank Beaumont for use on the then-embryonic heritage line.

It was first moved to the old station yard at Kirk Smeaton near Doncaster where restoration began, and was completed at Butterley in time for the locomotive to take part in the 1980 Rainhill 150 cavalcade.

Sadly, Frank did not live to see the completion of restoration work on his engine, which enjoyed an eventful main line career in the 80s and 90s.

The two 7Fs are scheduled to be reunited at the WSR spring steam gala weekends, After which No 53809 will move to the NYMR in late June. No 53809 will also be joined on the NYMR by another locomotive currently based on the WSR Pete Waterman’s small GWR prairie No 5553, which is to spend next summer on loan at Pickering.

No 5553, the last engine to leave Dai Woodham’s scrapyard, may also make a main line comeback – being rostered on Whitby-Glaisdale trains in the course of its visit.

Pete’s GWR 2-8-0T No 5224 will be returning for a second season, following winter repair work at Crewe.

Finally, a third member of the Waterman fleet, LNWR ‘Super D’ 0-8-0 No 49395 is also expected to pay a short visit to the NYMR for one of its gala events.

As previously first reported in Heritage Railway, Southern Locomotives Ltd’s West Country light Pacific No 34028 Eddystone is to go on loan to the NYMR.

Completing the visiting engine line-up will be Ian Riley’s two locomotives, ‘Black Five’ No 45407 The Lancashire Fusilier and BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0

No 76079, although their main line commitments in 2006 will probably see them running less mileage on the NYMR than in recent years.

SOURCE HERITAGE RAILWAY MAGAZINE