The Launceston Railway have announced that Darjeeling No.19 will be visiting them in 2019.

The narrow gauge locomotive will be visiting them for several months this year and will be hauling passenger trains at the line.

This news comes as the private Beeches Light Railway, where No.19 is based, is set to be closed and be moved to a new site.

More news on the locomotives visit will be announced soon, keep tuned!

A brief history on No.19

Locomotive No. 19 was built by Sharp Stewart & Co in 1889 for use on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It was withdrawn from service in 1960 and was an overhaul at Tindharia Works. It was then purchased by Elliott Donelley to run on a private railway in Illinois. When Mr Donelley died in 1975, the locomotive was acquired by the Hesston  Museum in Northern Indiana.

After major fire damage, it was rebuilt in 1985 and continued in service for three years before being displayed as a static exhibit. In 2002 No 19 was purchased by Adrian Shooter, a Managing Director of Chiltern Railways. The locomotive returned to the UK across the Atlantic in a shipping container in early 2003 and was fully restored  at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Whilst being restored, two replica DHR carriages were constructed at the Boston Lodge Works of the Ffestiniog RailwayNo 19 and its carriages are normally based at Adrian Shooter’s private garden railway.

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