The LNER Encyclopedia

In the annals of preservation in BR days, this would seem to be a sad case. Given the Scottish Region's good work with bringing the Jones Goods, CR 123 and Glen Douglas out into the limelight, what went wrong for poor old Ben Alder?

Anyone any ideas?

After withdrawal 54398 was put aside for preservation and kept in various places for several years. I saw it in summer 1960 when it was inside Forfar shed. From what I've heard the outcome was a case of communications breakdown. There was a realistic scheme to save it but it appears that someone on the railway got impatient and had Ben Alder towed away for scrap a short while before the money turned up. All very sad.

On a somewhat similar theme wasn't there a D16 put by at Stratford (in the late 1950s?) for a private purchaser? That too fell through, possibly for want of funds, but at least the N7 was saved instead.

Nowadays we hear a lot about 'Joe Bloggs' A4', 'So-and So's B;ack Five', etc. etc. Shame those folks weren't around 40-50 years ago.

I don't know of a Claud, but one of the J70s was put to one side for a year.

Also one of the NBR Atlantics was restored but scrapped - I think this was about WW2 time when priorities were a little different.


Richard

The story about the Claud is in one of Ian C Allen's books, I believe. It was offered to a Traction Engine group, but they felt it wasn't really what they ought to be spending funds on so they let it go.

I may be wrong about the number but 62522 is the one that comes to mind. One of that class was certainly stored for a while at Stratford with a view to eventual sale, and I believe the prospective purchaser was the late Dr Fred Youell who was a GER devotee who eventually bought 69621. Of course in those days there was not only the problem of buying an engine, but of finding somewhere to keep it too once you had paid for it. All this happened a few years when not even the Bluebell Line was running as a preservation line.

Silver Link was to put asside at Doncaster for a private buyer, then that fell through, so the council were going to buy it, but that also fell through, and it duly went for scrap.

The last D20 (62396 I think) was intended for preservation after withdrawal from Alnmouth Shed in 1957 and was taken to Darlington for storage, however the deal fell through and the loco was painted on one side for an official photograph then scrapped.

Ben Alder was still at Parkhead 65C 21st June 1965.