The Telford Steam Railway has announced that the ex-Great Western Railway near-100-year-old 0-6-2T steam locomotive No. 5619 returned to steam on Thursday, 31 August.

The return to steam came after passing a hydraulic test and steam test following recent repairs to its boiler backhead washout plugs. Before then it had been out of traffic since August 2022 when it was on hire to the Llangollen Railway.

5619 has now returned to traffic in time to finish Telford Steam Railway’s 2023 season. The timing of 5619’s return to traffic is very timely, as it will now be available to work the railway’s 2023 Polar Express trains, avoiding the need to hire a replacement locomotive.

Before 5619 returned to Telford from the Llangollen Railway, an unsubstantiated report was received that the tyres on 5619 had worn excessively and were in scrap condition. The Telford Steam Railway arranged for 5619 to be inspected by an external assessor, who reported that the tyres are serviceable.

The Great Western Railway built 200 5600 Class locomotives between 1924 and 1928, and were introduced to replace the host of 0-6-2 tank locomotives that the Great Western Railway inherited from nine other Welsh railway companies at the Grouping in 1923.

Numbered 5600-5699 and 6600-6699, most of the 5600 series were allocated to depots in South Wales, where they proved ideal for hauling coal trains from the South Wales valleys to the ports on the Bristol Channel coast. Like many of its classmates, 5619 spent all its working life in South Wales, and from 1950 to its withdrawal in June 1964 it was allocated to Barry.

The next scheduled operating days for 5619 are Sunday, 24 September and Sunday, 1 October.