DHR 778
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DHR 778 (originally number 19) is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, that was built in 1889 for the
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a narrow-gauge, gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about long. It c ...
. It is preserved in the United Kingdom, and is the only DHR locomotive outside of India. The locomotive is notable for having the oldest locomotive boiler still in use anywhere in the world.


History

DHR 778 is a
DHR B Class The DHR B Class is a famous class of gauge saddle tank steam locomotives used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, India. Service history A total of 34 B Class locomotives have served on the DHR. Some are still on the wo ...
, a design built between 1889 and 1927. A total of 34 were built. By 2005 only 12 remained on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and in use (or under repair). The locomotives were designed by Sharp Stewart & Co. of Glasgow and built by them, their successors
North British Locomotive Company The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park Wor ...
(NBL, Glasgow), and three each by
Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
(BLW, Philadelphia, USA), and the DHR works at
Tindharia Tindharia or ''Tindharay'' (English meaning: 'Three streams') is a village in the Kurseong (community development block), Kurseong Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Kurseong subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the stat ...
. Number 778 (originally No.19) was built in 1889 by Sharp Stewart & Co at the Atlas Works in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. It is the only DHR locomotive that has been taken out of India. After many years out of use at the
Hesston Steam Museum Hesston Steam Museum is an outdoor museum operated by the Laporte County Historical Steam Society in Hesston, Indiana. The museum occupies 155 acres and is the home of four different gauge railroads along with numerous other pieces of steam powe ...
, it was sold to enthusiast
Adrian Shooter Adrian Shooter (22 November 1948 – 13 December 2022) was a British transport executive. Career Shooter joined British Rail in 1970 as a management trainee. He became maintenance engineer at Bletchley in the mid-1970s, then depot manager at ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and restored to working order. It was based on
Beeches Light Railway The Beeches Light Railway is a private narrow gauge railway in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, England, in the garden of Adrian Shooter, the former director of Chiltern Railways. The line contains one station, Rinkingpong Road ( bn, রিনকি ...
, a private railway in Oxfordshire, and has also run on the
Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park. The railway is roughly long an ...
, the
Leighton Buzzard Light Railway The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (LBLR) is a light railway in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, England. It operates on narrow-gauge track and is just under long. The line was built after the First World War to serve sand quarries north of ...
, the
Launceston Steam Railway The Launceston Steam Railway is a narrow gauge railway, in Cornwall, England. The railway operates from the town of Launceston to Newmills, where there is a farm park; it is long. The railway is built on the trackbed of the former standar ...
and the South Tynedale Railway. 778 is the only B class with a tender.. Locomotive remained based at the Beeches Light Railway until the death of
Adrian Shooter Adrian Shooter (22 November 1948 – 13 December 2022) was a British transport executive. Career Shooter joined British Rail in 1970 as a management trainee. He became maintenance engineer at Bletchley in the mid-1970s, then depot manager at ...
in December 2022. On 21 June 2023 the locomotive was purchased at auction for £250,000 by The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust (DTLT), with supporters raising the required money three months beforehand. Following the sale, the locomotive and its two matching carriages were relocated by the Trust to the
Statfold Barn Railway The Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge railway based near Tamworth, Staffordshire and partially in Warwickshire, England. Founded by engineering entrepreneur Graham Lee and his wife Carol at their farm-based home, they originally designed wh ...
near
Tamworth, Staffordshire Tamworth (, ) is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and north, Lichfield to the north, south-west and west. The town takes its name from the River T ...
.


Special events

In mid-2011, for the 40th anniversary of preservation of the Froissy Dompierre Light Railway in France, three Britain-based locomotives visited, including locomotive 778. In 2013, locomotive 778 ran as a part of Indian Extravaganza Fest in
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
in East England, and in 2014 it was the main attraction at the South Tynedale Railway's Indian Summer Event


References


Further reading


1980s

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2010s

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2020s

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2023

;Pre-auction * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Post-auction * * * * * * * * *


External links

* , 2023 trust established to maintain the locomotive {{Narrow gauge locomotives of India, state=collapsed Preserved narrow gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain Preserved steam locomotives of India Sharp Stewart locomotives 0-4-0ST locomotives Individual locomotives of India 2 ft gauge locomotives Individual locomotives of Great Britain Steam locomotives of India