Historic steam loco to visit Llangollen Railway

 

* Photo courtesy of JS Hancock care of https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/5619-2/ - 

The1925-built GWR 0-6-2T No 5619 will be visiting Llangollen Railway for its 2022 season from its usual home at the Telford Steam Railway. 

The Collett-designed 5600 Class will arrive at Llangollen for completion of its winter maintenance and then undergo its annual examination. 

The work will be completed at Llangollen by our MPD Team. 

The loco will see use throughout the spring, summer and autumn before returning to Telford in time to haul their very successful Polar Express Christmas trains. 

Tom Taylor, LR Trust Manager, said “N^o5619 should arrive in Llangollen before the end of next week (25^th March) and that they would will pull out all the stops to have her ready to welcome steam back to the Dee Valley for Easter. 

He added: "We are very grateful to our friends at the Telford Steam Railway for offering this superb loco to us. 

"Being a Great Western tank, it will look very much at home on our line, which was very much at the heart of GWR Country in its heyday. 

"It is a big step forward to us to source a visiting steam loco as we currently have no serviceable steam locomotives. 

"Later this year two of our Llangollen-based Great Western locomotives, 2-8-0 N^o 3802 and Pannier N^o 7754 are expected to return to steam. The prospect of seeing 3 working GWR locos on the railway together is something to really look forward to and another clear sign that the LR is very much back on track."

Mark Paynter, Commercial Director of the TSR, said: “The Telford Steam Railway are excited to enter in to a new partnership with the Llangollen Railway and we are more than happy to assist them with their steam loco requirements."