Cotswold Festival of Steam locomotive line-up confirmed by GWSR somersetlive.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from somersetlive.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THREE years and a £350,000 makeover later, a 1940s steam train has returned to the tracks. A classic 1940s express steam locomotive has returned to Swanage Railway after an extensive £350,000 overhaul by its owners - Southern Locomotives Limited - which restored Eddystone from a rusting scrapyard hulk to a gleaming machine. On Monday, the 96-tonne train was taken by road from the Swanage Railway s engineering works at Herston, near Swanage but not rail connected, to the heritage railway s road-rail interchange where it was towed nearly six miles to Swanage station.
Eddystone is back on track after a £350,000 restoration Andrew P. M Wright
Eddystone train returns to Swanage Railway dorsetecho.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dorsetecho.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When in British Railways service during the 1950s and 1960s, the locomotive was based at Bournemouth and hauled trains on the London to Weymouth line as well as the Somerset and Dorset line between Broadstone, Blandford Forum, Templecombe and Bath.
Minus its coal and water tender, the 96-tonne machine was transported by road transporter on April 26, from Herston to the heritage railway’s road-rail interchange, west of Norden station, where it was towed by rail the five-and-a-half miles to Swanage station.
Graham Froud, Herston engineering works manager, said: “The staff and volunteers at Swanage are delighted to welcome this established steam locomotive which is a firm favourite with our locomotive crews.