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 No. 778 hauling a train on the Ffestiniog Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DHR 778 (originally number 19) is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, that was built in 1889 for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is preserved in the United Kingdom, and is the only DHR locomotive outside of India. The engine has the oldest locomotive boiler still in use anywhere in the world. [1]
DHR 778 is a 0-4-0 ST DHR B Class, a design built between 1889 and 1927. A total of 34 were built. By 2005 only 12 remained in use (or under repair) on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The class was designed by Sharp, Stewart and Company of Glasgow and built by them, their successors the North British Locomotive Company (NBL), and three each by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW, Philadelphia, USA), and the DHR works at Tindharia.
Number 778 (originally No.19) was built in 1889 by Sharp Stewart & Co at the Atlas Works in Glasgow. It is the only DHR locomotive outside of India. After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Museum, it was sold to enthusiast Adrian Shooter in the United Kingdom and restored to working order. It was based on Beeches Light Railway, a private railway in Oxfordshire, and has also run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the South Tynedale Railway. [2] 778 is the only B class with a tender.[ citation needed ]
Locomotive No. 19B was basedat the Beeches Light Railway until the Shooter's death in December 2022. On 21 June 2023, the locomotive was purchased at auction for £250,000 by The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust (DTLT), with supporters raising the required money three months beforehand. Following the sale, the locomotive and its two matching carriages were relocated by the Trust to the Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth, Staffordshire.
In mid-2011, for the 40th anniversary of the Froissy Dompierre Light Railway in France, three Britain-based locomotives visited, including locomotive 778. [3]
In 2013, locomotive 778 ran as a part of Indian Extravaganza Fest in Bedfordshire in East England, [4] and in 2014 it was the main attraction at the South Tynedale Railway's Indian Summer Event [5]
A Fairlie locomotive is a type of articulated steam locomotive that has the driving wheels on bogies. The locomotive may be double-ended or single ended.
A Garratt locomotive is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bridge". The two other parts, one at each end, have a pivot to support the central frame; they consist of a steam engine unit – with driving wheels, trailing wheels, valve gear, and cylinders, and above it, fuel and/or water storage.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 610 mm gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km (55 mi) long. It climbs from about 100 m (330 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m (7,200 ft) at Darjeeling, using six zig zags and three loops to gain altitude. Ghum station is situated at an altitude of 2,258 metres (7,407 ft). Six diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum – India's highest railway station – and the steam-hauled Red Panda service from Darjeeling to Kurseong. Steam-enthusiast specials are hauled by vintage British-built B-Class steam locomotives. The railway's headquarters are at Kurseong.
Indian Railways operates India's railway system and comes under the purview of the Ministry of Railways of Government of India. As of 2023, it maintains over 108,706 km (67,547 mi) of tracks and operates over 13,000 trains daily with a fleet of 14,800 locomotives. The railways primarily operates a fleet of electric and diesel locomotives along with a few compressed natural gas (CNG) locomotives. Steam locomotives are operated on mountain railways and on heritage trains.
There were more than a thousand British narrow-gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways. Many notable events in British railway history happened on narrow-gauge railways including the first use of steam locomotives, the first public railway and the first preserved railway.
The Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge railway based near Tamworth, Staffordshire and partially in Warwickshire, England. Founded by engineering entrepreneur Graham Lee and his wife Carol at their farm-based home, they originally designed what is still termed the garden railway, in which Graham could run his trains and Carol could design an extensive English country garden around a lake.
The Froissy Dompierre Light Railway is a 600 mm narrow gauge light railway running from Froissy to Dompierre-Becquincourt, through Cappy, in the Somme department, France. It is run as a heritage railway by APPEVA and is also known as P'tit Train de la Haute Somme. It is the last survivor of the 600 mm narrow gauge trench railways of the World War I battlefields.
Moel Tryfan was a narrow gauge steam locomotive built for use on the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (NWNGRs) in 1874/5. The locomotive was an 0-6-4T single Fairlie locomotive built by the Vulcan Foundry near Manchester. It spent its entire working life on the NWNGRs and its successors the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) and the Ffestiniog Railway (FfR).
Despite the advent of electric and diesel locomotives in the mid-20th century, steam locomotives continued to be used and constructed into the 21st century. The regular use of steam locomotives in non-tourist revenue service concluded in 2024.
The Ffestiniog Railway 0-4-0T+T were six 0-4-0T+T steam locomotives built by George England and Co. for the Ffestiniog Railway between 1863 and 1867. The locomotives were built to two designs: the first four were originally side tank locomotives and are collectively known as the Small England class; the final two locomotives were delivered with saddle tanks and are known as the Large England class.
Princess is an 0-4-0ST+T steam locomotive built by George England for the Ffestiniog Railway in 1863. It is one of the earliest narrow gauge steam locomotives and is one of the three oldest surviving narrow gauge locomotives still on its original railway.
Adrian Shooter was a British transport executive.
The DHR B Class is a class of 2 ft gauge 0-4-0ST saddle tank steam locomotives used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, India.
The DHR D Class was a 2 ft gauge 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt-type articulated steam locomotive used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, India.
The DHR A Class was a class of 2 ft gauge 0-4-0WT well tank steam locomotives used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, India. It was the DHR's first standard design of locomotive.
The Beeches Light Railway was a private narrow gauge railway in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, England, in the garden of the late Adrian Shooter, the former director of Chiltern Railways. The line contained one station, Rinkingpong Road at an elevation of 351 feet (107 m) above sea level.
Gloddfa Ganol was a museum dedicated to the Welsh slate industry and narrow-gauge railways, situated in the Oakeley slate quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog. It opened in 1974 and closed in 1998 following an auction of its exhibits.
The Railway Heritage Park is an railway museum open in 2010 at New Tinsukia Junction railway station, in Assam, India, opened in 2010. The museum is bordered by National Highway 37.
x-ray inspection of the original boiler showed that there was virtually no wastage. No.19 now has the distinction of having the oldest locomotive boiler in use anywhere in the world.
40th anniversary of the Froissy-Cappy-Dompierre line entering preservation. … invitations extended to The Greensand Railway Museum Trust's Baldwin 4-6-0T WDLR No. 778 and Adrian Shooter's Darjeeling Himalayan Railway B-Class 0-4-0ST No. 19 (SS 3518/1888) to visit.
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Dismantling provided a number of surprises, such as the boiler, which is not the original 1889 one as thought by the trustees. … the team found a stamp marking "B 4977". … 19B's works number was 3518 whilst 4977 is an identical B class but was built 14 years later in 1903.
The 1903-built boiler has been found to need too many repairs to be economical when compared to making a new boiler. … 19B is unlikely to return to steam until 2026. … cost of the boiler is expected to be around £150,000
Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways' Boston Lodge Works is to design a new boiler for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Sharp Stewart B class 0-4-0SWTT No. 19B.
[Boston Lodge] has recently been awarded the contract for the design of a replacement boiler for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway No. 19 B … welded barrel, welded outer wrapper, but flanged plates … Bob Yates is doing the drawing of the new layout and [Jon Whalley] will be doing some calculations … that'll go to British Engineering Services for their approval
| Steam (2 ft 6 in (762 mm)) |
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| Steam (2 ft (610 mm)) |
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| Diesel (2 ft (610 mm)) | ||||||
| Battery (2 ft (610 mm)) | ||||||