This locomotive was built by the Hunslet Engine Company in 1941 for Brookes Limited to use at the Lightscliffe Works in Halifax. Brookes Limited was a quarrying company which had been formed in 1840 and which grew steadily through the nineteen century. In 1898 it patented a non-slip paving stone which resulted in the company expanding its operations worldwide. At Halifax the company had a railway system which connected with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.
The locomotive (Brookes No 1) is a unique locomotive in that it has 14 inch inside cylinders. Other remaining Hunslet locomotives have 15 inch, 16 inch and 18 inch diameter cylinders. The wheels are 3 feet 4 inch and the weight 27 tons 18 cwt.
After ending its working life it would appear that the locomotive spent some time at New Delph near Oldham as part of what turned out to be a failed attempt to operate a heritage railway there.
It was purchased by the Peak Railway in 1983 but was then acquired by a Middleton Railway Trust member in 1991. An extensive overhaul started in 1995 and it was operational again in 1999.
The Middleton Railway Trust purchased it in 2013 with the aid of Heritage Lottery Funding. The locomotive is considered significant for the railway as not only is it unique but it was built about a mile away from the railway in Leeds.
Whilst at the Middleton Railway it has seen service running as Thomas the Tank Engine as well as running in its natural state as a saddle tank.
In 1999 the locomotive was fitted with a completely new boiler which aided the overhaul which commenced in 2013.
The locomotive returned to hauling passenger trains on the Middleton Railway in 2017.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 