Railway raises steam for the first time in many months

* The Kitson locomotive raises a test head of steam.

Enthusiasts at Llangollen Railway yesterday celebrated steam rising again from one of its vintage locomotives after months of cold boilers. 

The heritage attraction was one of the first to close its doors to the public when the pandemic began last spring. 

Apart from the loss of trade this meant the railway was then hit by an even greater crisis when its public limited company went into receivership with debts of around £350,000. 

But since then the separate and completely solvent railway trust has been involved in a massive fightback and fundraising campaign which has seen it buy up enough vital rolling stock from the receivers in an online auction to talk about re-opening the railway to paying visitors later this summer.

Now, full of confidence for the future, railway enthusiasts have been firing up one of the locomotives which they hope will haul them out of the financial crisis.

On the unofficial Llangollen Railway Facebook page they posted:  “With thanks to Lambert Smith Hampton [auctioneers] we have been testing the Kitson this afternoon following an insurance boiler inspection this morning.

“Thanks also to Head of Steam Rhys Lloyd for re-assessing a few of the drivers.

“All great progress toward running a railway again. Really enjoyed my go after spending the last eight weeks sanding and painting the loco. Onwards and upwards.”

Kitson is the name of the engine’s builder - it's an 0-6-0 saddle tank - the original motive power for the Llangollen Railway back in 1975. 

It worked initially at the Austin car plant in Birmingham. It was first known at Llangollen as the 'Burtonwood Brewer' on account of their sponsorship for acquisition and restoration of the engine. 

* The story about Josh Davies in the May 17 edition of the Railway Hub.

In another development, a young boy who raised £500 for the railway’s fight-back fund has been featured in a specialist railway publication. 

A story in the latest edition of the Railway Hub describes how eight-year-old Josh Davies made the money by cycling, walking and running 60 miles over his Easter holiday.

* For the full story, see: https://www.therailwayhub.co.uk/60032/eight-year-old-josh-rides-to-the-aid-of-crisis-hit-llangollen-railway/