Steam engine returns to Cornwall for the summer
A steam train from the golden age of the British railway is returning to its Cornish roots.
The 'small prairie' tank locomotive was built in 1927 and spent most of its life working in the South West. Bodmin & Wenford Railway will be home to the steam train which will be regularly running along the Cornish line until early September. During the 1950's the GWR '4575' Class 2-6-2T No 5521 was based at St Blazey shed in the heart of GWR territory in Cornwall. Its duties would have included working services between Bodmin Road, Bodmin General, Wadebridge and Padstow. After withdrawal by British Railways in 1962, and then spending 13 years evading the cutter's torch in a scrapyard at Barry in South Wales, No 5521 was purchased for use on the West Somerset Railway. Later it was bought privately and moved to the Forest of Dean where it was rebuilt and restored to full working order, re-entering service in early 2007. Richard Jones, General Manager of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming back No 5521 to Cornwall this summer where it will be a popular addition to our steam fleet and provide us with a very useful visiting engine in our 25th anniversary year." The Bodmin & Wenford Railway is Cornwall's only working standard gauge heritage branch line.