Poppy Line welcomes visiting steam locomotive

The North Norfolk Railway has announced the upcoming arrival of its second visiting engine for the 2024 season which kicks off on March 29 with a special line-up of three steam trains for the Easter weekend.  Austerity No. 22 is usually based at the Appleby-Frodingham Railway on the British Steel Works in Scunthorpe, and is due to arrive later this week.

Built in 1956 by the Hunslet Engine Co. its original purpose was to haul trains for the National Coal Board. A powerful tank engine class, No. 22 was built to the design used to supply engines for the Ministry of Defence hence its description of “Austerity”. The locomotive officially retired from service in 1978 and was then purchased by the Appleby-Frodingham Railway Preservation Society in 1997. The Society then undertook a large-scale restoration project with No. 22 returning to steam in 2010 in the smart maroon livery of the United Steel Companies. She has since worked on several heritage railways.

The engine is scheduled to run throughout the North Norfolk Railway’s 2024 season alongside the line’s steam and diesel home fleet. Interim General Manager, Graham Hukins explained “Steam locomotives are subject to strict maintenance and safety checks, the most rigorous of which is the ‘ten-year boiler inspection’. During this process a locomotive is dismantled for a thorough check and overhaul; in essence it is akin to an exhaustive MOT and service – but the work required usually takes a few years! Two of our locomotives have recently reached the end of their ten-year boiler “tickets” and our Engineering team have therefore arranged to hire replacements to cover.

“We are pleased to have secured No 22; she is a deceptively powerful industrial engine which once worked at collieries in South Wales, and she provides a real contrast with our other locomotives. We’re sure our fleet will continue to delight visitors with a range of contrasting engines for them to see and travel behind.

He added “We would like to thank the owners of No. 22 and look forward to welcoming her to the Poppy Line very soon and expect her to enter service with us during the Easter holidays.”

NNR services will run on Sundays in March and then most days between April and October. Trains run through 5½ miles of wonderful scenery between the Victorian resort of Sheringham and the Georgian town of Holt, with unlimited train travel with every Day Rover and free activity sheets for children all year round. Full details and timetables can be found at www.nnrailway.co.uk/opening-dates/ and passengers booking online in advance receive a generous discount.