See LNER class J94 for details
This locomotive was built in 1943, to a Hunslet Engine Company design, by Andrew Barclay for the Ministry of Defence.
It then entered service as WD71529.Longtown near Carlisle in February 1945.
In 1951 it was sent to the Hunslet Engine Company and the Yorkshire Engine Company for repairs.
In November 1951 the locomotive moved to the War Department depot at Steventon or Lockinge (The records are unclear on this).
It then worked at EG Steels of Hamilton from 1959 until it was bought in 1964 by the Wemyss Private Railway (WPR) where in entered service in February 1965. Here it ran as WPR No 15.
In 1970 the locomotive was overhauled by Andrew Barclay at Kilmarnock.
When the WPR closed in June 1970 the locomotive was sold to T Muir’s Scrap Yard, Kirkcaldy where it remained until 2003 when it was bought for preservation by Andrew Goodman and moved to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR).
It was returned to steam on the GWR in December 2007. It was at the GWR that the locomotive acquired the name Earl David.
Two years later the locomotive moved to the East Lancashire Railway where it ran until for a short time before being withdrawn from service when it developed a hot big end. Repairs were undertaken by the owners and following a successful steam test Earl David entered traffic again on the East Lancashire Railway. The other side of the engine then ran warm and during a routine inspection a water leak from the firebox was observed. On removing the grate it was discovered that there was cracking to the inner firebox and the locomotive was again withdrawn from traffic.
Repairs to the locomotive were completed in 2013 when the locomotive became operational on the Avon Valley Railway.
In late 2018 it was reported that the locomotive was undergoing boiler repairs at the Vale of Berkeley Railway. A new firebox tubeplate was made for the engine by the South Devon Railway.
In May 2020 the boiler from the locomotive was moved to the Flour Mill for replacement tubing to complete the boiler overhaul. The work on the bottom end had already been completed by this time at the Sharpness Docks base of the Vale of Berkeley Railway.
As of November 2022 the boiler was still at the Flour Mill whilst the rest of the locomotive was still at the Vale of Berkeley Railway at Sharpness docks in Gloucestershire. Contrary to the information quoted earlier the running gear was having to undergo some major repairs. The cylinders were very worn and oval so have been rebored. The pistons and rods will need to be remade as one conrod is bent and the other worn. The chassis will need to be lifted as the main bearings are also very worn.so almost a complete strip and rebuild required.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 