This locomotive was built in 1917 by Manning and Wardle & Co and supplied new to Parkgate Iron and Steel Company of Charwelton in Northamptonshire.
Technical details of the class O locomotive –
- Weight – 28 tons
- Driving Wheels – 3ft 9in
- Boiler pressure – 150 psi
- Tractive effort – 7,810 lbf
- Cylinder – 2 – 15in x 22in
It was employed there hauling ironstone quarry trains for over 25 years.
In March 1942 the locomotive was transferred by its owner to their Sproxton quarry in Lincolnshire. As the locomotive was almost worn out when it arrived there it spent two years undergoing a major overhaul.
The quarry railway at Sproxton closed in 1963 and the locomotive was bought by the Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) Trust.
The locomotive was moved to the K&ESR at Tenterden in January 1964. It was steamed again to haul a number of works trains but during an overhaul in 1973 it was found that there was severe cracking in the firebox walls.
In 1976 the locomotive was sold for restoration to the Rother Valley Railway Ltd.
It returned to the K&ESR in September 1982 on long term loan and carries the KESR number 14.
In May 1983 it was withdrawn from service for repairs to its axle boxes following derailment damage. After a short period at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway the locomotive returned to the K&ESR in March 1986. It was then a regular performer on the K&ESR.
In April 1988 the locomotive paid a short visit to the Baye de Somme Railway in norther France.
It was withdrawn from service in 2001 for a routine overhaul and it returned to service in the spring of 2010.
In April 2017 the locomotive developed boiler problems and was withdrawn from traffic.
It was reported in the summer of 2020 that the locomotive was being restored.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 