The team that oversaw the overhaul of BR Class 8 No. 71000 ‘Duke of Gloucester’ has produced commemorative tumblers for sale.

The BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust is the custodian of the loco, which is the sole survivor of its class. ‘The Duke’ was designed at Derby Locomotive Works in 1953 and built at Crewe Locomotive Works in 1954.

It ran in service for around eight years, during which time the Trust describes it as having “at best, a mixed reputation on the main line”. It was then withdrawn for scrap.

The tumblers have three dates engraved on them, marking three key points in the locomotive’s life story:

• 1954: the year of the Duke’s original construction
• 1974: the year that the Duke was rescued from Barry Scrapyard
• 2024: the year that the latest overhaul was completed.

The project to return the locomotive to operation has been tagged The Impossible Dream. Five years ago, work began on restoring it to working order, and volunteers helped with regular working parties.

Earlier this year, the Trust announced that the Duke would go to the Severn Valley Railway for testing and commissioning, and would then move to Crewe to join a fleet of operational steam trains.

The Trust hopes that the tumblers will be a valuable keepsake for enthusiasts, and will celebrate the life of the Duke and the completion of the Impossible Dream.

The tumblers are supplied in boxes and come with a one-page description of the Impossible Dream story.

Each tumbler costs £25 plus £5 post and packing, making a total of thirty pounds. You can buy yours here!