The LNER Encyclopedia

Just found this on Britarch.
This is the loco featured in the Ch 5 documentary being recovered from S Africa.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-centra ... am-engine/

What a great project, there must still be hundreds of restorable British built locos lying forgotton around the world and old Empire.

Trouble is wrong gauge.

I saw the programme earlier this year; I think that it was one of a series called something like Monster Moves. It is well worth looking out for a repeat.

The number of problems the team had to solve within a very tight time schedule was nail biting stuff.

Another 2 pieces about the loco from today

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/disp ... d_lady.php

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Chu ... 5854120.jp

Sorry I'm late with this posting.
Although a 3' 6" gauge locomotive would not get in it's main line miles running in the UK, it is just the job for New Zealand.
It seems that in the 1990's Ian Welch, the Chairman of our 'Main Line Steam Trust' must have decided that it was time for something different.
As a result four ex-SAR locomotives arrived in Auckland in August 1996, destined for the Steam Trust's central Auckland depot.
They were:-
'24' class 2-8-4 No.3620. N.B.L. 26332 1949
'25NC' class 4-8-4 No.3432. Henschel 28751 1953
'25NC' class 4-8-4 No.3508. N.B.L. 27368 1954
'GMAM' class 4-8-2+2-8-4 Beyer Garratt No.4083
Beyer Peacock 7681 1956

No's 3620 & 3432 had been overhauled in Bloemfontein by Spoornet.
No.4083 was operational up to time of shipment, and was running around the depot yard on Open Day in September 1996.

On a slightly LNER note, this is not the first Garratt in New Zealand. Around 60 years earlier five were imported, on the recommendation of a Royal Commission which included Sir Sam Fay. These locomotives incorporated Gresley derived motion.
It is said that the trial runs kept the fire engines very busy as the drafting arrangements were unsuited to the NZ coal.
The five later received surgery, producing ten orthodox loco's which in their later days were running around with the casing over the two-to-one gear missing - good for MIC lectures?

As an aside to this were any 25C Condensing engines preserved?

There was a report that 25C 3511 was stored at Beaconsfield, but I'm not sure whether this is still the case. She was, I believe, the last 25C in service.