Heritage locomotive handover at Havenstreet

Listen to this article

Two heritage steam locomotives have returned home following a handover ceremony on the Isle of Wight.

The 1877-built London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) E1 class tank locomotive ‘Burgundy’ arrived at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on November 3 on the same day that the Ivatt tender locomotive No. 46447  prepared to depart for its new home at the East Somerset Railway.

Both locomotives are returning to the lines they would have commonly travelled during the early to mid 20th century.

‘Burgundy’ is the last remaining locomotive of her class and The Isle of Wight Steam Railway has long held an ambition to acquire and run the E1 on the Island.

Four E1 class locomotives used to operate on the Isle of Wight from the early 1930s until 1960, working alongside a large number of 02s and ‘Terriers’. Numbered and named No. 1 ‘Medina’, No. 2 ‘Yarmouth’, No. 3 ‘Ryde’ and No. 4 ‘Wroxall’, none of these survived into preservation. ‘Burgundy’ is not, therefore, a true Island engine but it is the last survivor of its type.

Meanwhile, Ivatt 2-6-0 tender locomotive no. 46447 is of a type which is not ideally suited to the Island as tender locomotives never operated on the Island’s railways. Ivatt 2-6-0s used to work along the Cheddar Valley line and therefore it is very appropriate to have a representative of the class at the East Somerset Railway.

Travelling by road and ferry to their respective new homes, the locomotives were transported by heavy haulage specialists PH Antell & Sons from Dorset and transported across the Solent aboard Wightlink’s largest Fishbourne-Portsmouth car ferry ‘St Clare’.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Rail News

ORR review leads to 50% reduction in maximum fees for ticket refunds

New rules will mean that from 2 April the maximum fee that train operators and ticket retailers can charge...

More like this...