Lancashire Central Coalfield (LCC) workshops at Walkden Yard, near Manchester, have provided the inspiration for the Foxfield Railway's summer steam gala on July 16-17 - in spite of Foxfield Colliery having been more than 50 miles away from LLC. Walkden Yard was maintaining National Coal Board locomotives from around Manchester well into the 1970s, and even from further afield, following the closure of the NCB'sWigan and Haydock workshops. The gala's Echoes of Walkden theme, therefore, draws heavily on the locomotives that passed through Walkden during their industrial careers, most notably the recently arrived North Staffordshire Railway!'class 0-6-2T No. 2, which arrived at Foxfield from Shildon in April. No. 2 became better known at Walkden as Princess, having reached the system in the 1930s, where it was employed on the Bridgwater system. Having received a new boiler and a partial rebuild in the mid-1940s, in 1960 it was repainted into full NSR livery as No. 2, but four years later its boiler, tanks and cab were fitted to classmate Sir Robert (ex-NSR No. 72) - all very confusing!
展开▼
