No. 40118 at Shackerstone, Battlefield Line, after its arrival in early January. Harry Needle’s No. 20087 is alongside.
ALAN HARRISON
THE Battlefield Line has welcomed Class 40 No. 40118 (D318), which moved from Tyseley Locomotive Works – where it has resided since November 1988 – to Shackerstone on January 5. GWR tool & riding van No. 174 and Fruit D No. 92076, which are also owned by the 16SVT Society, relocated to the Leicestershire heritage line in mid-January.
Volunteers from the Class 40’s owning group have enjoyed long-standing ties with the Battlefield Line. The loco is undergoing a thorough restoration, with ‘every nut and bolt’ being attended to.
Priority is being given to getting the engine to start, then the bodywork will be progressed in due course. A structure is set to be erected over the loco, mirroring the arrangement when the loco was at Tyseley.