Original " B Class" Sharp Stewart Steam Locomotive Comes Home.
Locomotive No 19 was built by Sharp Stewart & Co, Glasgow in 1889. It was withdrawn from DHR service in 1960 and after overhaul at Tindharia Works, was purchased by Elliott Donelley to run on his private railway in Illinois, USA. Upon Mr Donelley's death in 1975 the locomotive was acquired by the Hesston Museum in Northern Indiana.
After damage in a major fire at the museum the locomotive was rebuilt in 1985 and continued in service for a further three years before being displayed as a static exhibit. In 2002 No 19 was purchased by Adrian Shooter, a DHRS member and Managing Director of Chiltern Railways. It returned to the UK across the Atlantic in a shipping container in early 2003 and was fully restored at Tyseley Locomotive Works, Birmingham by a team led by the experienced locomotive engineer, Bob Meanley. At the same time, two replica DHR carriages were constructed at the Boston Lodge Works of the Ffestiniog Railway, North Wales.
No 19 and its carriages are normally based at Adrian Shooter's private garden railway but the train makes occasional visits to other UK narrow gauge railways. Its first major public debut was at the Ffestiniog Railway's FR 50 Gala held 30 April - 2 May 2005.
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