- Home
- 101-year-old...
101-year-old steam engine returns home after sale
A steam locomotive built more than 100 years ago has returned to the Kent & East Sussex Railway after it was bought by a volunteer.
The Peckett & Sons 0-4-0T engine, named Marcia, was donated to the Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) in 1962, where it stayed after being bought in 1965 by K&ESR member Richard Beckett, who died last year.
Mr Beckett’s family arranged for Marcia to be sold, so the locomotive was taken to Exminster, near Exeter. It was bought in June by K&ESR volunteer Andy Hardy, from Maidstone, and the company he works for, Rapido Trains UK.
“It’s been a lifelong ambition to be a driver,” said Mr Hardy, who has now welcomed Marcia back to K&ESR.
Marcia weighs 12 tons and was built in Bristol in 1923.
The locomotive’s working career included stints at the West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co and the Manchester Oxide Company, where it was given the name Marcia after Marcia Clayton, who was the wife of the company's managing director.
Marcia was in regular use at steam events during the 1970s and 80s, and was a roving ambassador for the K&ESR at county shows and other events.
The engine was withdrawn from service in 1982 for restoration, which was completed in 2011.
“We are delighted to have Marcia back because she is the heart and soul, the passion, the emotion of this railway,” said Dr Robin Coombes, general manager at K&ESR.
“We were almost on the point of losing her but thanks to Andy she has been brought back.”
Follow BBC Kent onFacebook, onX, and onInstagram. Send your story ideas to[email protected]or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Related internet links
- https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/world/101-year-old-steam-engine-returns-home-after-sale/ar-BB1plhkI?ocid=00000000
Related
ICC prosecutor opted for warrants over visit to Gaza
By Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie van den Berg and Humeyra Pamuk THE HAGUE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -On May 20, the same day International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan made a surprise request for warrants to arrest the leaders of Israel and Hamas involved in the Gaza conflict, he suddenly cancelled a sensitive mission to collect evidence in the region, eight people with direct knowledge of the
NewsTalks to free Israeli hostages to start in a 16-day period after first phase, Hamas source says
DUBAI (Reuters) - A senior Hamas source said on Saturday that a revised Hamas-Israel deal proposal agreed that talks to release Israeli hostages, including soldiers and remaining men, would start in a 16-day period after the first phase of the agreement. The source said that the proposal ensures that mediators would guarantee a temporary ceasefire, aid delivery, and withdrawal of Israeli troops
NewsWisconsin Republicans are improperly blocking conservation work, court says
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Legislature's Republican-controlled budget committee can't legally block conservation projects initiated by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday. The decision marks a victory for Evers, whose relationship with Republican lawmakers has deteriorated since he took office in 2019, as well as environmentalists across the state. “I’ve spent years working against...
News‘It’s harder than ever to have fun’: How modern life killed off the house party
‘It’s harder than ever to have fun’: How modern life killed off the house party - IN FOCUS: As Stormzy opens up an immersive club inspired by that most endangered of social phenomenon – the domestic get-together with mates – Ellie Muir mourns a crucial form of socialising that has become increasingly tricky for young people to experience
NewsNew solar technology could dramatically change how we harvest light from the Sun, scientists say
New solar technology could dramatically change how we harvest light from the Sun, scientists say - Breakthrough is a step towards absorbing all kinds of visible light
NewsCalifornia Imposes Permanent Water Restrictions on Residents
The state is asking large water suppliers to cut delivery to consumers by as much as 39 percent by 2040 in an effort to become more drought-resilient.
NewsPezeshkian: Iran's new reformist president
Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's only reformist candidate in the latest presidential election, has risen from relative obscurity to become the ninth president of the Islamic republic. In the lead-up to the elections, Iran's main reformist coalition threw its weight behind Pezeshkian, with former presidents Mohammad Khatami and the moderate Hassan Rouhani declaring support for his bid.
NewsContents of historic manor house up for auction
Dunkirk Manor is selling the collection of fine art and antiques amassed from all over the world.
News