Scandinavian steam loco "found" in Suffolk

Sorry if this has already been covered:

https://felixstowe.nub.news/news/lo...idden-in-woods-not-far-from-felixstowe-154722

Anyone know the history of this? Interesting to see it appears to be just sat in a forest. Is it linked to a local heritage railway?

TIA,

Allan

 

Presumably one of the Finnish locos that were imported to the UK about 30 years ago. They went initially to a location at Acton, Nr Sudbury, as they had a few Public open days there (includng having one in steam) around that time, and I've got a few photos taken there on one of those events in 1992.

How it ended up on the (presumably) Shotley peninsula is anyones guess!

 

TR1 2-8-2 no. 1077, abandoned near Sudbury.

 

Hardly near Felixstowe (or Shotley....) then !!!


Edit: Just had a look at Google Earth and found the loco without any problem in the area the things were kept 30 years ago - It's actually in part of an industrial site and not "abandoned in the woods"!

.

 

March 1992........


I would even go as far as saying it is actually sitting in the same spot that it was when I took this photo, given the position of the buildings behind......

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WrrR59gwqYQguimT8

 

I believe Webb Truck Equipment were involved in importing the things from Finland at the time.....

 

Thanks for the replies chaps. Seems (as usual) local press taking liberties with it's actual location and status. Seems like it's owned by Webb Truck and is sat in their yard etc.

Cheers

 

Also taking liberties with what it is: "a Harry Potter Hogwarts-style train".

 

It certainly looks like it from other photos. First in, last out (or not!).

 

Just having a look what was online about them, I found this from the Daily Mail a mere 6 years ago......
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...steam-train-final-stop-middle-Essex-wood.html
The liberties that the Felixstowe nub webpage seem to have taken look like a cut & paste from the Mail article - i.e. "Essex wood", Harry Potter" etc, etc......

 

There seem to be some other rail vehicles, possibly even another engine, in the yard. Can anybody enlighten us ?

 

I've not heard of anything else being kept in that area, though I haven't actually been to the place since that 1992 Open Day. Webb's were certainly involved in road vehicle preservation in the past and in 1992 things like this were standing on their property at Acton awaiting restoration....

 

I believe the owners of Webb still do have road going steam engines.

 

I think these locos were originally imported for a proposed theme park attraction, a plan which never came to fruition.

 

A shame for the poor loco, I wonder if it would have a better future if it were to be repatriated to its home country?

Richard.

 

I've only ever been to Finland once, back in 1998, and that was on an Aviation Tour rather than anything to do with railways, but I did find a few VR steam locos plinthed at various stations, including a similar 2-8-2 at Tampere.....


The ones that ended up here in the early 90's were presumably of no interest to the Finnish preservation community at that time, so will anything have changed in that respect 30 years later?

 

I don't know about the Finnish preservation community, but some of the English ones are/were certainly interested. Here is Nigel Sill's TK3 at Ongar 2007 (Fun to drive, despite only having 100yards of 5ft gauge track). After the railway changed hands, it went to Nigel's farm. I expect it's still there but no idea if it is still in operational condition.

 

That's the one that was in steam at the storage site in Acton on the open day in 1992, though it wasn't painted red then......



David Buck (former owner of 61306) had one of the Finnish locos which was operating in his back garden in recent years, assuming that is still the case, and there is the one at Weeting (1060) that is supposedly going to be restored as well.....



1060 at the Acton open day in 1992.....

 

Enfield Timber Company had more than one locomotives. One in their Timber Yard for many years and one located next to Southbury station: