No. 15 ‘Eustace Forth’
Eustace Forth is a Roberts, Stephenson and Hawthorne 0-4-0ST loco
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Previously numbered 7063, the loco was built in 1942 at the Forth Bank Works in Newcastle.
It worked shunting coal wagons at Gateshead, until it was saved for preservation and added to the National Collection in 1978.
While at the National Railway Museum, it played the role of Percy in Thomas the Tank Engine events.
In 2014, Eustace Forth was given to the Foxfield Railway, and in late 2018 was used for steam heating duties on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
In May 2019, it moved to the Northampton and Lamport Railway on loan.
Its next move was to the Peak Rail, before joining the Midland Railway – Butterley in December 2023.
The Railway has drained the loco’s boiler, stripped the safety valves and removed the boiler plugs and mud hole doors.
This work was necessary to prepare for the loco’s washout and boiler examination, which will take place later this week.
The volunteers also emptied ash from the pit (which took an hour), and chopped wood in preparation for the Railway’s forthcoming running days.