51218 restoration and photos

51218 was the first locomotive to arrive at the Worth Valley Railway in January 1965, the photos below show its preservation history in reverse chronological order.

Since 2006 51218 has mainly been in storage again as the Trust concentrated on restoration of loco 752, but in 2018 the Worth Valley offered to carry out a cosmetic restoration for display in their 50th Anniversary celebrations as the first loco to arrive at Haworth. Following the completion of 752’s restoration, a project to restore 51218 to steam will commence, one of the first stages being a professional examination and report on the condition of the boiler. The Trust would like to hear from anyone interested in sponsoring the restoration.
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Upon return to Haworth in 1970 with little work to do, a period of storage ended for preparation to take part in the Stockton & Darlington 150 in 1975, following which there was limited work and storage resumed again. In the mid-1990s the Trust decided to return 51218 to steam, the work being carried out at the East Lancashire Railway, involving a new tank, smokebox and tubes to go with a new front tubeplate, followed by extensive travels. The tubes lasted longer than expected but when they began to fail in 2006 51218 went back into storage.
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For the remainder of 1965 51218 worked shuttle trips from Haworth Yard up the loop and works trains on the branch, together with a train of stock arriving in March 1966 – as well as a TV advert for biscuits with the late Ronnie Corbett. A move to Lancashire for a few years saw 51218 well travelled, with preparation and repairs were carried out at Newton Heath and Trafford Park BR sheds.
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51218 has been well-travelled for nearly 100 years, being moved around by the LMS Railway and then British Railways both for their own purposes and loan to customers, typically to replace a shunter under overhaul. Below is selection of images covering the 1940s through to the first use on the Worth Valley in May 1965. Only limited restoration work was required as there had been little use since the last overhaul at Horwich in 1963.
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