National Trust donates steam locomotive to Isle of Wight Steam Railway

As part of its reorganisation of Penrhyn Castle Museum in North Wales, the National Trust has gifted the 145-year-old steam locomotive Haydock to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

The National Trust is refocusing the display at Penrhyn Castle to concentrate on the history of industrial slate quarrying in the area.

Haydock was transported the 300 miles from Penrhyn Castle by road by Allelys Heavy Haulage, the stars of TV's Trucking Heavy documentaries, and crossed from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight on a Wightlink ferry, one of the railway's sponsors.

The costs to prepare and transport Haydock to the Island were shared between the National Trust and a group of Isle of Wight Steam Railway members.

Haydock fills an important gap on the Isle of Wight as it represents a type used during the construction of the island's railways and is of the same design of locomotive as Freshwater, which was used during the construction of the Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway.

Built by Robert Stephenson in 1879 with works number 2309 (Freshwater was works number 2383), Haydock was originally a contractor's locomotive and is known to have been used around 1903 on a construction contract for the North Eastern Railway near Bolton Percy.

Subsequently acquired by the owners of the Haydock collieries, Richard Evans & Co, for many years it was used on shunting duties at the company's timber wharf on the Manchester Ship Canal at Acton Grange and in collieries at St Helens.

The wharf at Acton Grange was several miles from the Haydock mines, and it is believed that Haydock would work under its own steam over the main line between the two sites as it still carries its Railway Executive registration plate.

In 1947, Haydock passed into National Coal Board ownership, and from 1952 until 1963 it continued working at Acton Grange until the end of rail operations at the site. It was overhauled in the 1950s when its original Salter pattern safety valves were removed and new square-topped side tanks were fitted.

In 1963, Haydock was stored at the NCB Central Workshops at St Helens until 1966, when it was presented to the National Trust and transported to Penrhyn Castle.

Haydock will initially go on static display in the Isle of Wight Steam Railway's ‘Train Story' exhibition centre at Havenstreet, but the long-term aim is to cosmetically return it to as-built condition and painted as Freshwater.

Peter Taylor, Chairman of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway said. “We are extremely grateful to the National Trust for placing Haydock in our care where the locomotive will further enhance our collection for the benefit of the wider community.”