The Standard Steam Locomotive Company has announced that their upcoming Open Day in Sheffield has been cancelled.

The Open Day was planned for the 17th September but has been postponed with a new date yet to be confirmed.

A spokesperson for The Standard Steam Locomotive Company said “as a mark of respect following the death of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II the decision has been taken to cancel the event to a later date which is yet to be decided”.

SSLC is building the locomotive, No. 72010 Hengist, using the original British Railways engineering designs for the locomotives. It is being constructed by CTL Seal Ltd at their factory in Sheffield, with the frames already assembled, and many components have been ordered against the exacting standards needed to ensure the locomotive can operate safely and reliably on the main line network.

Ten Clans were built between 1951 and 1952. A further 15 were planned, and some of these had been allocated names and numbers, with Hengist set to be the next one to be built.

However, a combination of steel shortages and the adoption of diesel traction power led to the cancellation of production in 1955. The entire class was scrapped in the 1960s, with none of the original locomotives preserved.

The new Hengist will feature modern materials and safety systems to comply with today’s more exacting requirements, but will otherwise remain faithful to the original 1950s designs. SSLC plans that Hengist will have a ‘go-anywhere’ capability, so that it can potentially operate on large parts of the GB rail network, as well as heritage lines around the country. Due to the use of modern materials and construction practices, there should be a benefit from lower maintenance and running costs.