A heritage railway company is appealing for more than £250,000 to complete a vital overhaul of a 73050 City of Peterborough.

The overhaul is well under way at the Wansford workshops of the Nene Valley Railway (NVR), which connects Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction in Cambridgeshire.

Number 73050 has been preserved for almost 55 years and the current overhaul is the fourth which has been received by the locomotive, which now bears the name City of Peterborough.

The present work commenced in 2017 with considerable attention being lavished on the boiler, which has the original 70-year-old steel fabric. Along with the comprehensive overhaul of the boiler, work continues apace and the frames, wheels and motion are gradually being re-assembled.

But more money is needed in order to complete the restoration.

Generous donations have been forthcoming from both individuals and Peterborough City Council.

Those sums have enabled the overhaul to proceed, though the Covid-19 pandemic was responsible for a number of direct and indirect effects. At present, available funds stand at around half of the £500,000 needed to complete the overhaul, so further donations are invited.  A series of programmes aimed at potential donors are available, with full details on the NVR website.