Historic 'unsung hero' steam locomotive recreated

A wartime steam locomotive that helped to keep a region's industry moving for nearly two decades has been recreated.

The Tanfield Railway in Gateshead has reconstructed the 1940s-built steam locomotive No. 68029, 63 years after it was scrapped.

It was one of nearly 400 steam locomotives commissioned to help the logistics effort needed to win World War Two and went on to support industries across the North East after hostilities ended. It was scrapped in the 1960s.

General manager David Watchman said the engine was one of the "unsung heroes of the steam age."

At the end of the war, No. 68029 was one of 75 engines bought as wartime surplus by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1946 as their class J94.

The machine passed to British Railways in 1948, which put it to work at Tyne Dock in South Shields. J94s could also be found based in Blaydon, Consett, Gateshead, Heaton in Newcastle, Hexham, Stockton and Thornaby.

"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," Watchman said. "The National Coal Board were huge fans of the design too. They really were unsung heroes of the steam age."

The National Coal Board borrowed No. 68029 for five months to work on its Bowes Railway system, which linked collieries in Burnopfield, Marley Hill, Kibblesworth and Wardley with the River Tyne in Jarrow. No. 68029 hauled tens of thousands of tons of coal along the famous route designed by George Stephenson in 1826.

No. 68029 was retired from the coal industry in June 1962 and headed to Gateshead shed, a site now occupied by the Ochre Yards housing development. By the end of 1963 it had been replaced by diesels and was sent to Darlington for scrap.

While text records of No. 68029 exist, Tanfield Railway said there are no known photos of the locomotive, making its recreation "more complicated". The recreation is based on historical records and an identical surviving locomotive, Robert, based at the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.

"We've been using some modern techniques like laser cutting to create the details needed for a convincing look," Watchman said.

"I'm sure the scrapmen who cut up the real No. 68029 would never have imagined that we'd be trying to undo their work a whole 63 years later."

The No. 68029 recreation will be part of Tanfield Railway's Run It gala on Saturday and Sunday, along with seven other engines. The recreation will also mark the 200th anniversary of one of the region's most influential railways.

"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," Watchman added. "Recreating No. 68029 is an exciting way of bringing a different aspect of North East railway history to life.

Passenger and demonstration freight trains will run throughout the gala event, which start at 9:00 on both days. Tickets can be purchased on the day or via the Tanfield Railway website.

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