Spa Valley Railway

Spa Valley Railway, West Station, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5QY
Telephone: 01892 537715
Email spavalleyrailway@email.com

(Photo ©P. G.Barnes)

BR Class 12. No. 15224

Ashford Works - Built 1949,
Ashford Works, England
Wheel Diameter - 4ft 6in
Length over buffers - 29ft 5¾in
Weight - 48 tons
Engine Specification - English Electric 6 Cylinder Engine 350 HP

The sole survivor out of a class of 26, these engines were built at Ashford works between 1949 and 1952, to a design by Oliver Bulleid. Allocated to several major SR depots including Norwood and Ashford, for shunting and trip working at a maximum speed of 27½ mph. Leaving BR service around 1970, 15224 worked in the Kent coalfields for the NCB.

The locomotive entered preservation in 1983, travelling from Snowdon Colliery in Kent under its' own power, to Hove where it was stored for a couple of weeks whilst it waited to travel to Brighton Works, Lovers Walk. It then moved again in 1985 to the Lavender Line, which involved driving the engine into Brighton station prior to loading onto a lorry. It is believed that it has the honour of being the last item of rolling stock to leave Lovers Walk via the mainline station, prior to the points being lifted. 15224 then spent the next 13 years at the Lavender Line, Isfield, before it was moved to the Spa Valley Railway in January 1998.

The locomotive is also unique in the fact that it is the only diesel in preservation with the Bulleid-Firth-Brown Boxpok wheels. Since arriving on the railway the locomotive has received a large amount of maintenance and has seen usage on a variety of works trains, as well as the odd passenger train, double heading with one of our other shunters. There are plans to fit the locomotive with train brakes so that it can operate passenger trains on its own.

Livery - BR green

Current Status - In Service

Above:- Class 12 15224 sits at Hove on 12th July 1983 en-route from Snowdon Colliery to Brighton Works, Lovers Walk. Photo © David Cox

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