Furness Railway No.20, which is Britain’s oldest working steam locomotive, will be visiting Blaenavon’s Heritage Railway, formerly known as the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, in late May and early June.

The visit has been made possible thanks to the Furness Railway Trust and is part of the railway’s 40th-anniversary celebrations and is also the locomotive’s 160th birthday.

To commemorate the visit and to encourage people to visit the railway to view the historic locomotive, children aged 15 and under will be able to travel free on all dates when the engine is operating.

It is believed that this will be No.20’s first visit to Wales, so it is a great chance to ride behind the iconic locomotive.

Originally constructed 160 years ago in 1863 by Sharp Stewart and Co., Furness Railway No.20 is an 0-4-0 tender locomotive is one of a batch of eight similar engines that operated on the Furness Railway in north-west England.

However, as traffic grew, it quickly became obsolescent and in 1870 it was sold to the Barrow Haematite Steel Company, where it remained in service right until 1960.

After being withdrawn from service, it was donated to a school before being purchased by a group of enthusiasts determined to restore this historic locomotive to steam.

A Heritage Lottery Fund grant award of £97,000 allowed restoration work to continue, and it was given a heavy overhaul before returning to steam in December 1998, 135 years after its construction.

Furness Railway No.20 will be operating at Blaenavon’s Heritage Railway during the following weekends:

• 20th and 21st May;
• 27th and 28th May (Coal Train Weekend);
• 10th and 11th June (Model Railway Show).

Nathan Russell, the Railway’s Events Coordinator, said of the visit: “It is a delight to welcome Britain’s oldest working steam locomotive to Blaenavon for our fortieth-anniversary celebrations.

“It is a remarkable survivor that is testament to those who were determined to preserve the engine against all odds, and we really hope that many will come along to see her in action on our beautiful and challenging railway, and it is why we are allowing kids to travel free on the days when it is operation.

“I would like to give my thanks to the Furnace Railway Trust for allowing this historic visit, and to our Operations Director Alex Hinshelwood and the Railway’s steam Department for their efforts in securing the locomotive.”

For more information, visit the Blaenavon Rail website