Welcome to the section of the website devoted to the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in Britain, Furness Railway Number 20.
The locomotive has said farewell to its first decade in restoration with a final steaming at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, double-heading two trains to Lakeside.
This marked its final fling before the scheduled heavy overhaul this winter. Every ten years locomotive boilers must be removed and examined by the boiler inspector, and it is now almost a decade since what was then No. 20's new boiler was steam tested back in 1998.
It is intended that this overhaul - by volunteers - will be completed in time for the engine to return to traffic for next summer's Victorian Evening specials.
The
1863 veteran plays a key role in special events at the Lakeside
and Haverthwaite Railway and occasionally visits other lines.
It appeared in the L&HR's 2007 Steam Gala, alongside Trust stablemate 5643 - the first time the two engines have appeared in action together.
The rare chance of a smokebox to smokebox picture was made possible by 5643 running facing downhill - unusual on the L&HR when all engines normally face uphill towards Lakeside.
It's
starring role is the annual summer season of Victorian
Evening specials. Passengers enjoy an unbeatable night out with Furness
Railway Number 20 and the Trust's Victorian North
London Railway 2nd Class Coach - plus a cruise on the 1891 Furness
Railway-built Windermere lake steamer MV Tern. The service runs every Tuesday
evening throughout August. During the 2004 season an amazing photo of the
Victorian engine and train was taken using a Victorian
camera.
It also pairs up with former Millom Ironworks Barclay 0-4-0ST "David" at the various gala weekends organised at the LHR - the pair are seen storming out of Newby Bridge, and leaving Lakeside, during one such event.
This website has an up to the minute guide to where FR Number 20 is, and what it's up to.
Built in 1863, our flagship locomotive was restored to its original condition in a £140,000 project. Discover the engine's amazing story, unravel the riddle of its true identity, see the picture gallery, and read the book!
Furness
Railway Number 20 is truly a star of stage and screen. The Gwynneth Paltrow
blockbuster, "Possession", also starring
FR Number 20, has shown to audiences in cinemas around the country. The
engine has appeared on the smaller screen too - playing a major role in a
programme filmed for TV's Discovery Channel
and making a dream come true for a Lancashire
youngster on CBBC.
As a working museum piece, it is not appropriate to use Furness Railway Number 20 on general service trains on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, because of the severity of the gradients, the weight of the trains and the intensity of the timetable.
However, FR20 does see occasional use to double head certain trains during normal operating weekends, particularly on Bank Holidays, and the now traditional outing on the final day of the operating season. On the last day of the 2003 season, the old engine was entrusted to haul the final two trains single handed. The 1405 train from Haverthwaite is shown approaching Newby Bridge Halt.
The
engine has also been to other steam railways around the country, promoting
the work of the Furness Railway Trust:
Most recently, the engine had a starring appearance in York, at Railfest 2004, the National Railway Museum's tribute to the birth of the steam railway, in Britain, 200 years ago. Such was the public clamour that FR Number 20 replaced 1904 record breaker "City of Truro" to run the shuttle service train on two days of the event. The two are seen alongside each other, with the Festiniog Railway's "Prince" - also from 1863 - in the foreground.
"Thomas the Tank Engine for adults" - how one visitor described FR Number 20 at the Midland Railway Centre in May 2001....
At Barrow Hill Roundhouse, FR Number 20 ran on the sort of lines it was built for, and was visited by the descendent of the man who ordered the locomotive 140 years ago.....
"Magnificent", "spectacular and unique": the words of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway after Number 20's star-turn October 2000 gala visit.....
See the pictures, and read how Furness Railway Number 20 took West Yorkshire by storm on its visit to the Keighley & Worth Valley May 2000 gala....!
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