Steam Locomotive No 53809 Celebrates Centenary Ahead of Repaint to 1930s Guise

Powerful locomotive 7F No 53809, which was built to work heavy goods trains on the famous Somerset & Dorset Railway, celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday 15 February at the start of the North Norfolk Railway’s 50th anniversary season.

The event highlighted a double milestone as 2025 also marks 50 years since 53809 was saved for preservation from the legendary scrapyard at Barry in South Wales where she had languished for 11 years following her withdrawal from service in 1964. The centenary was celebrated with owner, John Moorhouse, accompanied by North Norfolk Railway General Manager, Graham Hukins and Chief Mechanical Engineer, Keith Ashford, ceremonially breaking a bottle of ale on the engine’s running plate.

The engine, which has worked just over 996,000 in her lifetime – 934,136 between 1925 and 1964 during which time she was based at Bath Green Park to work S&D services and 61,972 (and counting) since returning to service in 1980.

The locomotive has been based at the North Norfolk Railway since 2018 and is slated for a number of the Poppy Line’s celebratory events this year, but first will undergo a partial repaint into London Midland & Scottish Railway unlined black livery and will regain its LMS number, 13809. NNR, General Manager, Graham Hukins said, “We are delighted that we can celebrate the engine’s centenary by depicting an important period from early in her history when the S&D was under the control of the LMS and she was numbered 13809. The livery isn’t well represented on preserved locomotives so will provide additional interest in our 50th Anniversary year.”

The engine is scheduled to work half-term trains daily until 23 February and then is expected to be in action for the line’s four-day Steam Into Spring event over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, 18 – 21 April and for Springtime Celebrations on 24 – 26 May. 13809 is scheduled to be one of three engines in steam for each of the two events. Following half-term, the Poppy Line’s popular steam trains will run on Sundays in March with the main 2025 season commencing on 5 April with the railway open most days until 2 November. Further details can be found on the line’s website www.nnrailway.co.uk. Advance booking is strongly recommended and passengers doing so receive a generous 15% discount on their fares.