The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust has made a major step forward in the return of B class No. 19, with contract signing and first parts imminent for the boiler.

The trust has signed a contract with the Ffestiniog Railway for the boiler to be built at Boston Lodge Work.

Whilst a number of organisations were in the running for the contract, the trust says that Boston Lodge stood out for its competitive price and competitive timescale.

The Ffestiniog Railway will deliver the new boiler in around one year, which is a key factor as the DTLT team has some plans for 2026.

The first sections of the new boiler are anticipated to be delivered to Boston Lodge imminently, which is great news!

However, a final £20,000 is needed to re-erect and test the locomotive once the boiler is complete, and donations can be made via the DTLT website.

On behalf of this team, Will Smith said, “From this process, it was clear that there are incredible, talented professionals throughout the UK that are able to build high-quality new boilers for the heritage railway sector, and I’d like to express my thanks to all of them for their positive responses to our initial enquiries. Of all those, though, the Ff&WHR stood out for us with the combination of the timescale offered and a competitive price.”

Paul Lewin, Director and General Manager commented, “We are delighted to be able to partner with the 19B team on the next stage of their journey towards getting the engine back in steam. I am very proud of the boilers we’ve built in recent years for Velinheli, Welsh Pony and James Spooner, and we look forward to producing another quality product that will give 19B’s Trust many, many years of good service.”

Jeremy Davey, DTLT Chairman: “We were absolutely delighted with the FfR bid to build the new boiler. Not only was it very competitive, but the timescales met our need to get 19B back in steam as quickly as possible. We look forward to bringing it back to Boston Lodge in full working order as soon as possible. I cannot express my thanks to Paul, Jon and Bob enough for the way they’ve worked with us to get to this point.”