This weekend, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society will be officially launching their newest addition to their fleet on the West Coast of Cumbria.

The new Krauss steam locomotive, which was formerly known as ‘The Train From Spain’ will be officially named ‘Whillan Beck’ at 12 noon on Saturday 5th May 2018.

During the naming ceremony, the team that worked to get this locomotive back into steam will be thanked for their work.

The locomotive has been in service since March at Ravenglass but the first public train after the ceremony will depart at 15.10 on the 5th May 2018.

The new addition to the fleet would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the fundraising from ‘The Train From Spain’ appeal.

The locomotive was bought from Spain, where it has been based since being built in 1929. Extensive work has taken place over the two years to bring the locomotive back to working order.

What did the officials say?

Mr Sam Dixon, Hon. Chairman for The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society says:

“Fifty years after introducing their steam locomotive River Mite to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, the Preservation Society is delighted to be formally launching and naming their magnificent new Krauss steam locomotive Whillan Beck. In service on the railway since March, it has already proven itself to be more than capable of handling the busiest of trains on the railway; a remarkable feat after 85 years stored in Spain. We look forward to the locomotive delivering reliable service to the railway for decades to come and continuing as a the significant new attraction for the railway.”

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