By John Horton
After a lull of some 14 months, another locomotive arrived for the 1:1 Museum project in the former goods inwards building on the old Hornby Factory Site.
The last locomotive to arrive was just before the pandemic when a Eurostar Driving coach and trailer coach were delivered. Over the pandemic the sole surviving “Beaver Tail” Coronation Observation coach was also delivered. It is understood that the restoration of this sole survivor cost over £1 million.
The new arrival entered the site around 5:30pm yesterday (August 3) upon an Allelys Heavy Haul trailer, after travelling down from the Severn Valley Railway at Bewdley. The exhibit is a class 37 locomotive, 37 190, in BR Blue Livery with full yellow ends, featuring dual brakes (vacuum and air) and is fitted with frost protection grilles over the radiators and with snowploughs beneath the buffer beam.
37 190 was fitted with a central head code panel when built in 1964, by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Limited, and entered service as D6890 in British Railways Green livery. She was allocated to Swansea Landore Depot, in 1973 under the computerised TOPS system of British Rail, the loco was renumbered to 37 190.
On November 29, 1981, the loco left the Western region and headed for Scotland to Eastfield Depot. A little under a year later it was transferred Motherwell Depot. Locos of this type were needed for steel traffic around Motherwell and it was renumbered again to 37 314 and named “DALZELL” after the local steel works. Surplus to requirements it was stored in 1992 and officially withdrawn from service in 1993, in Large Logo livery at the time.
It was purchased for preservation and moved to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterly. Renumbered back to 37 190 and given BR Blue livery the loco performed many duties at the Severn Valley Railway. However, in 2020 it developed a major engine failure and was sidelined, apparently never to work again.
It left Bewdley early yesterday morning bound for Jeremy Hoskins 1:1 museum.
37190 is a CO-CO loco (every axle is powered) 3 axles per bogie, weighs 102 tonnes and has a fuel capacity of 890 imperial gallons, powered by and English Electric 12CSVT Engine, with a maximum speed of 90mph. It is a Type 3 diesel and has develops 1,750 hp – often referred to as “Tractors” by enthusiasts due to their agricultural sound.
The 1:1 museum is still under development and not open to the public at the present time. It is due to open with the next 24 months.
Locomotive Storage, which operates a storage and maintenance business for classic railway locomotives and heritage rolling stock, is converting its buildings to create the impressive British railway heritage museum.
The company bought the former Hornby factory and warehouse site in February 2017 and already stores rolling stock at the property which sits alongside Hornby’s offices, showrooms and visitor centre.
