The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has confirmed that WD 2-10-0 will burn ‘liquid’ fuels when it returns from overhaul

Chris Price, current CEO of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, says that liquid fuel can take a number of forms, including heavy oil to recycled cooking oil.

Mr Price also said that the main driving factor behind using liquid fuels rather than solid fuels, such as coal, is the ability to maintain a steam locomotive during hot weather periods, and the accompanying fire risks related to this.

WD locomotives, like 3672 Dame Vera Lynn, were designed to be used using coal firing or oil burning, and Chris Price says that there is evidence that 3672 was originally built as an oil fired variant.

It is intended that 3672 Dame Vera Lynn is the next locomotive to be moved into the fitting shop at Grosmont MPD once Black 5 No. 44806 is completed.

Chris Price, CEO of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, said “The NYMR has made the decision that the WD 2-10-0 locomotive Dame Vera Lynn will return, after its overhaul, as a liquid fuel burning locomotive. It is our intention to raise the remaining amount of money require to complete the overhaul on this basis. Liquid fuel can take many forms from heavy oil to recycled cooking oil (although there are legislative requirements to be met to do this) which will increase the fuelling options available to us. The main driving factor is the need to maintain a steam locomotive presence during the ever increasing frequency of hot weather periods, and the accompanying high fire risks these bring.”

“This locomotive is the perfect locomotive to convert as the WD locomotives were designed to be either coal or oil fired, and there is evidence this locomotive was originally supplied as an oil fired variant. Therefore, the heritage integrity will not be compromised with this conversion. Both the Railways CEO and Director of Mechanical Engineering have already been over to Florida to witness an similar sized liquid fuelled locomotive in operation. At this moment in time the American company FMW Solutions are our preferred contractor to supply the expertise required to help us fit a tailored liquid fuelled firing solution for this locomotive.” 

“It is planned that Dame Vera Lynn will be the next locomotive in our fitting shop following the completion of Black 5 locomotive 44806.”