Loco seen on M6 today.

Whilst on my way to the NEC this morning, I saw what looked like a Baldwin narrow gauge steam loco heading north on a low loader. I only got a glimpse, as I was going south at the time. It may not have been a Baldwin, but was definitely a tender loco, possibly 2 foot gauge.

Can anyone tell me what it was and where it was going/had come from, please?

Thanks.

 

The locomotive is Dahuichang number 4, a 762mm gauge C2 class 0-8-0 tender locomotive. The locomotive was built at Harbin Works and has the number 221 of January 1988, and is one of the last ever built.

It has been on exhibition at Shildon, and you saw it on its return to the FR at Porthmadog, where the loco will be restored by its owners - the 'C2 Project' Group - at Boston Lodge.

The photographs below show the loco arriving at Porthmadog on Duncan Milner's lorry, then the loco stabled for the night outside Spooner's Bar. It should be towed to Boston Lodge tomorrow, using the Group's wheel-skates...





Further photographs will appear on my fotopic site soon...

More information can be found at http://www.c2project.org/

 

Hi Roger -
will the owners be running it on the Fr or WHR after it's restored? Or is it destined for another railway?

 

I too suspected the loco spotted on the M6 could have been Dahuichang 4; there are some more pictures at the WHR Project site, for the simple reason that it arrived in what will become the first part of the eventual WHR platform at Harbour. But if so, travelling from Shildon to Porthmadog, what was it doing heading north on the M6?

 

Duncan has to go home and sleep at some point... ;-)

The lorry would have been travelling from Duncan's yard (I can never remember where it is).

 

Hi Meirion

I'm not 100% certain what the Group's plans are... but I'm pretty certain that they are considering running it on the F&WHR.

I do know that there will have to be some drastic surgery to re-gauge the loco and adapt the cab to fit the FR loading gauge.

Look at the cab front in the photo below and you will see a curved line above, and a straight line leading down from, the window on the left - this marks the FR structure gauge... :-k

 

Right, I've just popped into 'Spooners' and spoken to Andrew 'Rabbit' Nelms of the 'C2 Project'.

The loco seen was definitely No.4, on its way to Porthmadog from Duncan's yard in Stoke-on-Trent.

and - Yes, they do intend to run the loco on the F&WHR when they have completed the restoration...

 

Pipe dreaming and MAJOR engineering, but pony trucks fore and aft and the resulting 60cm gauge Mikado could be as useful as the Harz metre gauge 2-10-2s --which have bigger grates and more tractive effort than NGG16s for the same all up weight of 60 tonnes.

 

Thanks to all for the information.
I appreciate it.

 

Thanks Roger - should look a treat!

 

The photo from the cab is brilliant Roger.

"The train arriving at Platform 2 is the C2 hauled service from Shildon, please alight while we re-gauge your loco."

 

It will be even better when it's roaring up Aberglaslyn Pass or up to Tan-Y-Bwlch.

 

It would be nice paired up with the ALCo :smt077.

 

Couldn't agree more; had a couple of enjoyable trips on that engine with Evan years ago. Seems such a shame that the engine is cold and folorn at the back of Glan-y-Pwll.

:smt102 :smt102 :smt102

 

I guess it's safe, well protected and undercover.... a rest period makes it all the more exciting when the day comes for it to see the light of day again.

 

well i have just rumbled across this and i will say surely the WHR could need this loco quickerhttp://vimeo.com/2578284
thats indeed a beast of a engine

 

Cracking vid you found there Jud, how the hell do those locos stay on the track? [-o<