This locomotive was built by Andrew Barclay in 1924 and delivered new to the City of Leicester Electricity Dept at Freemans Meadow where it became No 2. It was a fireless locomotive which means that it had a steam accumulator rather than a boiler and was charged up with steam from a stationary boiler.
It had 15 inch x 18 inch outside cylinders and 3 feet driving wheels.
It was one of two such locomotives deployed by the City of Leicester Electricity Dept. The other (Works No 1772) was delivered in 1922. It was initially preserved at the Coventry Railway Centre but has since been scrapped.
The construction of the Freemans Meadow power station begun 1n 1922 on a site sufficiently large to permit extensions to cope with increase in demand for many years, and to enable the existing stations to be closed. It opened in December 1922 and was also known as Raw Dykes Road power station.
Following the construction of the national grid in 1928–33, a 132 kV substation was built to the north of Freemans Meadow power station.
The site of the power station is now the location of Leicester City Football Club’s King Power Stadium.
The locomotive continued in service until 1972.
It was subsequently preserved and exhibited at the Snibson Discovery Museum at Coalville until the attraction closed in 2015 after which the locomotive vanished from regular public view.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 