John Fowler Loco Breathes Again

The Society's 1955 John Fowler 0-4-0 shunter number 4210108 reached a significant milestone on Saturday the 18th of June when it was brought back from the dead after a lengthy restoration.

With handbrake on, gearbox in neutral and all fingers crossed we initiated CPR and pressed the starter button.

The six cylinder 150BHP diesel engine sprang into life with a mighty roar and ticked over beautifully. You can watch the event by clicking on the following link.

Her working life was spent at the Leyland Motors works in Preston which ended abruptly with the plants closure and she spent the next ten years rusting away in full view of the West Coast mainline.

Rescue finally came when Lancashire County Developments donated it to the Society with the aim of restoring it to full working order.

Since delivery to our workshops on Saturday the 1st of May 2010 the sixty one year old locomotive has undergone an extensive rebuild from the ground up. Almost every one of the working volunteers in the Society have been involved at some time and their hard work and dedication has got us to this important milestone.

Original advert for the John Fowler locomotive.
John Fowler loco before restoration.
Cab rebuild.
Clutch.
Axle.
Bonnet being lowered into place.

The task still continues with work required on the pneumatic, electrical and transmission systems and a top coat of the original blue and yellow Leyland Motors livery is scheduled to mark the final completion.