No.1

No.1 is the only standard gauge locomotive at the Railway and is the only steam locomotive not built by either Kerr, Stuart & Co. or WG Bganall. It was, in fact, built by Andrew Barclay & Sons and is works no. 1876 or 1925. It is an 0-4-0F fireless locomotive.

Originally based at Northfleet Paper Mill, it was Bowaters’ last operating steam locomotive anywhere in the world.

The locomotive is going to be cosmetically restored as it will never be able to run at our Railway.

Being a fireless locomotive, similar to ‘Unique’, it would be filled with high pressure steam and operate for about eight hours. The grey section is actually a tank to store the steam, usually the locomotive would have a layer of insulation material around this and then another metal skin on top of that but it was stripped back in the early-2000s to have the insulation removed as it was asbestos – now know as a deadly fibrous material which attacks the lining of the lungs and cannot be removed or cured.

Being a fireless locomotive the cab is actually the front of the engine and that’s why the pistons are at that end so here’s a picture of No.1 from the front: