68078 (WD 71463, LNER 8078 & BR 68078)

68078  Widdrington September 1971.jpg

68078 was built by Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co. Ltd. as Works No 2212 at Kilmarnock in July 1946 and went into service on the LNER.

In August 1949 it was fitted with an extended coal bunker.

BR motive power depot allocations.

Date ArrivedDepot
1st January 1948Immingham
June 1959Thornaby
March 1961Langwith Junction

68078 was withdrawn from service with BR in March 1963.

It was then purchased by Derek Crouch Ltd and used in Northumberland at Widdrington Disposal Point.

The coal disposal point was located approximately one mile east of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and about eight miles north of Morpeth. Coal was brought to this NCB site (known as Radar North) from various opencast pits in the area for washing, screening and dispatch. Much of the output was sent out rai, so there were a number of locomotives that operated the site and trip-working to the ECML exchange sidings.

The locomotive was given an overhaul at Doncaster in 1967.

In 1975 it was the last steam locomotive in commercial use in Northumberland and it remained in regular use until late in 1978 when its ten year boiler examination was due.

After being stored under cover the locomotive was put up for sale in 1984. The Great Western Preservation Group Ltd based at Southall purchased the locomotive with the aim of restoring it and proposed to on the main line around London on lightly used BR lines. The Great Western Preservation Group Ltd started dismantling the locomotive under cover at Southall

In 1999 the Tenterden Railway Company at the Kent & East Sussex Railway identified the need for another powerful locomotive. As a result they purchased the locomotive in May 1999.

The locomotive only moved from Southall in January 2001. As there was no space at Rolvenden the locomotive was moved to a field in in Sellindge in Kent which was also one of the bases used by the Southern Locomotives Ltd.

Shortly after arriving at Sellindge the financial limitations of the owners resulted in the locomotive being put up for sale which resulted in the locomotive being acquired by Kent Locomotives Ltd in November 2001.

It is privately owned by and is at Hope Farm, Sellindge in Kent where it is being restored.

Home BaseCurrent StatusOwner
Hope Farm, SellindgeUnder restorationPrivately owned
68078 starts a loaded train from the opencast disposal point towards the exchange sidings next to the east coast main line at Widdrington North – April 1969
68078 at Widdrington open cast mine – Date unknown
68078  Widdrington September 1971.jpg
68078 at Widdrington – September 1971

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