Between 1 & 4 pm on Bank Holiday Monday 25th May, the Southwold Railway Steamworks will be running its new-build replica 3ft steam locomotive 2-4-0T No.3 ‘Blyth’.

Entry to the site will be free, and the public is encouraged to donate to the upkeep of the line and the locomotive. Fundraising is also underway to build a carriage to allow for future passenger travel on the line. This is part of the ‘Heritage Train Project’, which aims to recreate a heritage mixed train that ran on the lines opening in 1879.

The replica locomotive, making its debut, was built by North Bay Engineering in Darlington and is based on an original design that used to run on the 9-mile Southwold Railway between Halesworth and Southwold when the line first opened.

Following a funding campaign, work on ‘Blyth’ began in 2021, and the completed locomotive arrived at Southwold in 2023. Since then, the 80-yard 3ft gauge line has been improved and re-laid to allow for safe travel of the locomotive along this stretch of track.

May 25th will mark a historic day for the Southwold Railway Steamworks. It will be the first time in 97 years that an original design 2-4-0T built for the Southwold Railway has run at Southwold.

“This first steaming marks a major step forward in our Heritage Train Project, the team
involved are very excited to see Blyth in motion”

Richard Stone, Chief Engineer, Southwold Railway Trust