This locomotive was built in 1952 for the National Coal Board (NCB) by the Hunslet Engine Company to the design used to supply to the Ministry of Defence and is thus regarded as an Austerity type locomotive.
See LNER class J94 for details.
It was bought by the National Coal Board in 1952 and spent its working life at NCB Maesteg in Glamorgan.
It was bought for use on the Kent & East Sussex Railway where it moved to in 1977. Here it was found to have a steel rather than a copper firebox as most of the other Austerity locomotives had. It was returned to steam there around 1988. At that time it carried the name Linda as did one other of the locomotives on the line.
The locomotive was sold to the Mid Hants Railway in 1994 where it was converted to a side tank engine to run as Thomas.
It operated on the Mid Hants Railway in the guise of Thomas the Tank Engine for a number of years.
By October 2022 the locomotive was undergoing a ten year overhaul at Ropley.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 