Lowestoft Miniature Railway

Does anybody know the whereabouts of the Dave Curwen designed American outline 4-4-2 that used to operate on this railway?

It replaced the miniature Stanier Class 5 (then named Sonja) at some point. The class 5 is still about, but wondered what happaned to the 4-4-2.

Is it the example that ran at Kessingland Wildlife Park in the early '80s before moving to Trago Mills, or is it one of the examples at Stapleford Miniature Railway?

 

Still trying to track down the American outline Atlantic (damn the nomadic nature of so many miniature locos!!), but t'ain't at Stapleford.

Curwen "John O'Gaunt" is still at Stapleford and now runs as "John H Gretton" (a thoroughly appropriate renaming IMO). Sibling loco "Blanche of Lancaster" is alive and well on the Bickington Steam Railway at Trago Mills.

 

courtesy of Lawson Little and David Holroyde's bible on Curwen locos. That'd be valid up to 2008 when the book was published, although this may have changed in the past decade.

John

 

Thanks for the info.

 

No wonder my trawl through the (none to up to date) Miniature Railway World webite couldn't find it!

I can tell you "Waverley" is going strong, although I forgot to note on which line ... dammit!

 

Waverley was at the Leek and Rudyard at last noting, I think.

John

 

I was under the impression that Sonja was sold as it was in poor condition after a decade of running in Lowestoft, and replaced with the new Curwen 4-4-2.

Was it really cheaper to buy a new locomotive rather than have the old one overhauled?

 

'Spose it depends on what lies beneath the phrase "poor condition" ..... there's "worn" and there's "what the hell were they thinking when they built that?!"

 

I believe in the mid 70s the line was replaced by a 7.25 inch gauge line, further south along the seafront, operated by a diesel locomotive, but have never seen a picture of this.

 

That little 7.25 circled the putting green just south of the Claremont pier & opposite the thatched cottage. The loco and stock was stabled overnight in its own tunnel. Didn't last long