Beattie’s coming home!

Beattie well tank No. 30587 has gone where no class member ever ventured before, through the tunnels of the Metropolitan Line where it is seen early on February 26 with a test train. Now it is to return to the city of its birth for the first time. ROBIN JONES

LSWR Beattie 2-4-0 well tank No. 30587 is to return to the city of its birthplace for the first time in 143 years.

No. 30587 was built in Manchester in 1874 and had a working life of almost 90 years, it was one of a trio retained in service in Cornwall for decades after its sisters elsewhere were scrapped because no other type could be found to run over the tightly-curving Wenfordbridge branch.

Back in the Fifties, enthusiasts regarded Wadebridge shed as a ‘Mecca’ where these antique locomotives could be seen in service. It was not until 1962 that the three were finally replaced by a trio of GWR 13XX pannier tanks.

Article continues below…
Advert

Enjoy more Heritage Railway reading in the four-weekly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.

Now visitors to Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry will be able to see No. 30587 in action in its home city in June.

Read more in Issue 229 of HR – on sale now!


Advert
Subscribe to Heritage Railway Magazine Enjoy more Heritage Railway reading in the four-weekly magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Article Tags:

About the Author