No 471 - Trojan
About the engineExpansion of the railway, and planned open days, led in 1928 to the construction by Schwab and son of a Raven Atlantic 4-4-2 locomotive. They used some parts from the old engine No 1, including the boiler and the pony truck. The new locomotive was numbered “471”. Photographs from this period are rare (one is reproduced in T J Smith's book, "The Saltwood Miniature Railway").
Then in 1929, after just one year, the father and son rebuilt the engine again, re-styling the locomotive essentially as a North British Atlantic. In this style, she was a very handsome machine, and although the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement never proved ideal for drivers, the engine was a great hit with her passengers. The fleet number "471" was carried over, and the engine was named "Trojan" (it is unclear whether the engine carried any name in its Raven Atlantic form). The North British Atlantic (Reid design) was one of the most successful locomotive classes of the Scottish company, and survived into LNER days as class C10, later rebuilt and designated class C11. More can be read about these attractive and successful locomotives in the book "The North British Atlantics" by John Thomas, or on this website. Trojan was given a new copper boiler in the early 1930s. Evidence suggests that her original boiler, which had been inherited from No 1, was again reused, this time in the construction of Colonel Tyrell's tank engine Atlanta, built for the 7¼" miniature line at New Romney. On the Saltwood line, Trojan ran with “SMR” on her tender sides. After the Second World War Trojan had fewer turns as the only engine in steam, but regularly appeared alongside her shed mate No 260 to provide double-heading, and also worked open days when 260 was undergoing maintenance. Where is it now? Having served the Schwabs from 1922 to 1970, the engine was finally sold to Jack Lillington, who moved the engine to the Great Cockcrow Railway at Chertsey for tests. From here Mr Lillington established her in the fleet of the Wellington Country Park Railway, and in around 1980 repainted the engine into “LNER” livery and markings. Trojan served at Wellington Country Park for ten years, throughout the 1970s. In 1980 she was sold to D B Taylor of Oxton, Birkenhead. The engine was sold again in about 1983 to an unknown buyer "in the London area" and Trojan then disappeared. In 1985 the railway's Owner (Alex Schwab) and Traffic Manager (Timothy L'Estrange) began joint efforts to trace the locomotive. These were still ongoing when Alex Schwab died in 1987. Timothy continued the search, contacting the known previous owners, and publishing appeals through the 7¼" Gauge Society and the miniature railway periodicals. Once the age of social media had dawned, the search was extended through digital channels. After exactly 30 years of searching, in November 2015 Trojan was finally traced. The locomotive is privately owned, and has been out of use and dismantled for some years; however, the new owner has begun a restoration of the engine, including the provision of a new boiler. A photograph is provided opposite. We are not yet able to reveal Trojan's location, but will bring further news in due course. |
Video of Trojan |