MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY PRESERVATION TRUST
The Wymondham-Dereham-North Elmham-County School Line

KING EDWARD II COMING SOON TO THE MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY

In front of c.3000 enthusiasts at 1pm on Saturday 2nd April 2011, at Didcot, Great Western Society [GWS] Chairman, Richard Croucher, spoke of the massive c.20 year task which his team had undertaken in restoring King Edward II [KE II]. They had taken a scrap yard hulk, and rebuilt it into the impressive 4-6-0 express steam locomotive, which was standing there, in steam, on the turntable.

KE II sports the BR experimental blue livery dating from the early 1950’s and was requested of the GWS by many photographers; KE II will eventually be repainted in Brunswick Green.

King Edward II is booked to run summer services on the Mid Norfolk Railway, starting on Saturday 4th June and culminating in a Steam Gala on the weekend of 16th & 17th July, running jointly with Great Western design Pannier Tank No.9466.

KE II will run 4 round trips daily, every weekend until Sunday 3rd July. KE II is also scheduled to run on Wednesdays 22nd & 29th June and Wednesday & Thursdays 6Th & 7th and 13th&14th July. On 9th & 10th July a special timetable applies, when KE II runs a 2 train service with 9466.

For the weekend of 4th and 5th June MNR round trip fares will be £15 adults and £10 children, thereafter £10 adults and £5 children. “Two locos in steam” fares, are TBA.

The MNR Steam Gala weekend will also see a narrower gauge train ride operating in the car park and also model railways on the station platform.

Dennis Howells, a railway signalling designer, had led the KE II restoration project from start to finish.
Richard Croucher and Steve Davies Director of the National Railway Museum, both spoke showering praise upon Dennis and the multitude of GWS Members who had contributed their efforts voluntarily, to such awe inspiring effect.

Some £700,000 investment covering one main driving new wheelset and 1100 separate orders placed upon a myriad of suppliers and twenty odd years later, the basic set of frames and boilershell was converted back into the original Great Western Railway single chimney variant, seen in full working order.

KE II was sent to the Barry scrap yard in late 1962, being rescued by the firm “Harveys of Bristol” in 1984. It languished in a location in Bristol until being relocated to Didcot c.1990.

King Class locomotives have 4 cylinders to even out the “piston thrusts”; stated power at boiler pressure of 250 psi is 40,300lbs.

Further details of the MNR may be found on our website www.mnr.org.uk
Further details of the GWS may be found on www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

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