(Image: Supplied)
A wartime steam locomotive that once hauled coal in the North East will be recreated more than six decades after it was scrapped.
Tanfield Railway will bring No. 68029 back for one weekend to mark the Bowes Railway’s 200th anniversary, 63 years after it was dismantled.
No. 68029 was one of nearly 400 “Austerity” steam locomotives built during the Second World War to support the war effort.
David Watchman, general manager at Tanfield Railway, said: "We like to try and throw the spotlight on forgotten parts of the North East’s railway heritage at our gala events and recreating No. 68029 seemed like the ideal way to do that this year.
"British Railways found the rugged and hard-working ‘J94s’ were ideal for docks, factories, and awkward parts of its network where bigger and more glamorous machines couldn’t reach.
"The National Coal Board were huge fans of the design too. They really were unsung heroes of the steam age.
"I can’t wait to see No. 68029 at work in the region for the first time since 1963, even if it is only temporary."
In 1946, the London and North Eastern Railway bought 75 of the locomotives and classified them as J94s.
British Railways took over No. 68029 in 1948 and put it to work at Tyne Dock.
J94s were a common sight across the North East, working in Blaydon, Consett, Gateshead, Heaton, Hexham, Stockton and Thornaby.
In 1962, the National Coal Board borrowed No. 68029 for five months to work on the Bowes Railway, which linked collieries in Burnopfield, Marley Hill, Kibblesworth and Wardley with Jarrow on the River Tyne.
It hauled tens of thousands of tons of coal along the historic line, designed by George Stephenson in 1826.
After leaving the Bowes Railway in June 1962, No. 68029 went to Gateshead shed—now the site of the Ochre Yards development—before being moved to Darlington for scrapping in autumn 1963.
The recreation is possible because an identical locomotive, Robert, survives at the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.
Robert will become No. 68029 for Tanfield Railway’s “Run It” gala on October 17 and 18, joining six other locomotives in operation.
The gala will also feature Stanley, another former Bowes Railway locomotive.
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Stanley was built for nearby East Tanfield Colliery before moving to the Bowes system after nationalisation in 1947.
Volunteers restored Stanley four years ago, and it is now a regular performer at Tanfield Railway.
Passenger and demonstration freight trains will run from 9am each day throughout the weekend.
Tickets can be bought on the day or booked in advance through Tanfield Railway’s website.