45163 (LMS 5163 & BR 45163)

The locomotive was built by Armstrong Whitworth Limited at Newcastle in July 1935.

BR motive power depot allocations since 1948.

Date ArrivedDepot
January 1948Perth
March 1950Corkerhill
May 1952Carlisle Kingmoor

45163 spent the majority of its working life in Scotland and North West England before being withdrawn from Carlisle Kingmoor shed in May 1965. 45163 was then one of the many engines purchased for scrap by Woodham Brothers in Barry for scrap and moved there in January 1966. It remained there for 21 years before leaving in 1987.

The locomotive was moved to the Hull headquarters of the Humberside Locomotive Preservation Group where dismantling and restoration commenced. It was stripped down to component parts and repairs to some of those parts commenced whilst other new parts were started to be fabricated. Work was then put on hold and the locomotive was put up for sale early in 1991 and negotiations took place to secure the engine for the Colne Valley Railway, which at that time one of the few well established preserved railways not to have any ex B.R. steam locomotives.

The purchase was completed at the end of 1991 and work parties started to travel regularly to Hull to recommence work on restoration. In 1993 the locomotive and all component parts were moved to the Colne Valley Railway at Castle Hedingham in Essex. Restoration work continued and quite good progress was made however the locomotive was now outside whereas it had been undercover at Hull. It was soon realised that the project stood a much better chance of successful completion if full undercover engineering facilities could be provided. Something that the Colne Valley Railway did not have to offer from its own resources. The search for a suitable building located a disused steel frame structure in an old coal yard no more than a mile away from the railway. Following successful negotiations for its purchase in February 1997 it was dismantled and transported it to the railway. The original building was only 60 feet long so they have constructed an additional steel bay to extend it to 75 feet in length x 40 feet wide. Construction was substantially completed in 2002 with an official opening by railway artist Malcolm Root on Saturday 27 April 2002.

Work on the locomotive has not stood still whilst the shed is being constructed. Most efforts have concentrated on the acquisition of missing parts. Either by locating original components or by sourcing castings ready to be machined to make the parts that are needed.

It is understood that the aim is to have the locomotive back in steam in 2026.

In 2019 the owners acquired a pair of crossheads and a drop link which had previously been on Doncaster built 8F 48518 which was broken up at Llangollen in 2008 to provide parts for new build County 1014 County of Glamorgan. Further parts are still required as part of the restoration of 45163.

Home BaseCurrent StatusOwner
Colne Valley RailwayBeing restored45163 Ltd.
45163 at Derby – April 1958
45163 at unknown location and date
45163 in Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry – December 1983

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