Sir Berkeley relaunched at Middleton Railway
Veteran Manning Wardle L Class 0-6-0ST Sir Berkeley (1210/1890) was relaunched into service on the Middleton Railway on Saturday, April 15 (Headline News, RM May).
The locomotive was initially privately purchased by Roger Crombleholme and based on the KWVR, but was later acquired by the Vintage Carriages Trust (VCT), which placed it on long-term loan to Middleton in the late 1990s.
Although built quite late in the Victorian era, the locomotive has many design features from Manning Wardle’s predecessor, E B Wilson, such as its double bossed wheels, bunker flare and most noticeably its brass safety valve cover. It is also currently the only working example of a Victorian contractor’s locomotive and for this reason has been painted into a representation of its original Logan & Hemingway livery to act as a memorial to all those who worked on building our railway network. VCT chairman Trevor England thanked Middleton Railway volunteers for their work in restoring the locomotive before Anthony Coulls, senior curator at the National Railway Museum, highlighted the use of such locomotives in the building of Britain’s railway network before officially launching the engine into traffic. Sir Berkeley then hauled a train to Middleton Park and return, before working trains alongside Hunslet 0-6-0ST Brookes No. 1 (2387/1941). ‘Sir B’ will now take its place alongside Brookes No. 1 and Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST Swanscombe No. 6 (3860/1935) and Sentinel 0-4-0VBT No. 68153 (8837/1933) as part of the working fleet, in addition to being available for hire to other organisations from 2024.