Peak Rail will be hiring Austin No 1 from Llangollen Railway for 2023.

The locomotive is officially Kitson Works No. 5459 and was built for the Longbridge plant of the Austin Motor Company where it was known as Austin 1.

1968 saw mergers and redistribution within the motor industry and ownership of the locomotive moved to British Leyland.

November 1973 saw the locomotive purchased by Burtonwood Brewery for the Flint and Deeside Railway Society where it took on a new name ‘Burtonwood Brewery’ in celebration of the brewery which had paid for its restoration.

September 1975 saw the locomotive arrive with Llangollen but at that time there was no track in place, however by July 1978 it was able to operate on a short length of track and eventually began operating passenger services in 1981.

In 1998 the Llangollen Railway Trust took over ownership from Burtonwood Brewery and returned the locomotive to its original name ‘Austin No. 1.’

The locomotive underwent an overhaul at Llangollen in 2020 and the following year saw its Austin Motor Company livery returned. Midsommer Norton then became Austin No 1’s home for a visit which was extended to cover the entire of 2022.

Peak Rail has revealed that both Dunlop and Austin No. 1 would have been hard at work in Birmingham at the very same time.