Furness Railway No. 20, the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in the UK, is back at Locomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon as the Operating Locomotive in Residence.
No. 20 first visited the County Durham museum for its steam gala in 2008. The locomotive spent all of 2009 there (apart from a brief stint at the NRM's headquarters in York) seeing regular use on the 2/3 mile running line at the museum, and is spending most of 2010 there too! It had a tour away from the Museum in May-August 2010, breaking new ground at the Great Central Railway, and the Bluebell Railway for its 50th birthday gala - the oldest working loco at the oldest standard gauge heritage line - plus revisiting Beamish.
Click here for the latest planned steaming dates, though note that these are subject to change.
For
the first time since its restoration, you can get your hand
on the regulator of the oldest working steam locomotive in the country - contact
Locomotion and sign up for the driver experience courses!
Locomotion Curator Anthony Coulls said "we hope that many will come and see it and ride behind it whilst it is here, it is a throwback to one of the most exciting periods of railway history."
Tim Owen, Chairman of the Furness Railway Trust, said "The FRT is honoured to have our flagship locomotive invited once again to part of the National Railway Museum."
The engine is seen (top) outside the main museum building, and (right) at the old Shildon goods shed hauling one of the regular trains on the demonstration line within the museum complex.
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