The North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG) was formed in 1966 with the intention of preserving some of the

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s then still working on regular goods or passenger trains in

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...

. At the time of its formation, its first president was

Wilbert Awdry Wilbert Vere Awdry (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997) was an English Anglican minister, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He was best known for creating Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas and several other characters he created appeared in ...

, the author of

The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. Twen ...

books and the creator of

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British ''Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the series, a ...

. Now the group owns four unique North Eastern steam locomotives, its aim is to have as many of its steam locomotives running on the main line or preserved lines as possible. In 2014, the LNER K1 (62005) ran on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and on the Jacobite service in Scotland. The LNER Q6 (NER T2, 63395) was undergoing boiler repairs at the start of the season but finished the season on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the LNER J72 (NER E1, 69023) ran on the Wensleydale Railway. The group have two workshops, one at

Hopetown Carriage Works Hopetown Carriage Works, also known as the Stockton and Darlington Railway Carriage Works, was a carriage works of the Stockton and Darlington Railway built in 1853 in Hopetown, near Darlington, County Durham, England. The works built railw ...

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

and another workshop and base at Grosmont, the northernmost station on the

North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Georg ...

. The shed at Grosmont is called deviation shed. Members of the group hold regular evening meetings to discuss railway subjects, have a membership newsletter, and have produced various publications. The group now also has a junior volunteers section, training young recruits at, mainly, the NYMR and Deviation Shed. These JVs will help with mainly the locomotives, although a small amount has been done on the carriages (K1 support coach).

Locomotives

NELPG

* LNER Class J27 no. 65894 - Operational following overhaul completed in May 2018. Currently based on the

NYMR The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Georg ...

. Visited the

Wensleydale Railway The Wensleydale Railway is a heritage railway in Wensleydale and Lower Swaledale in North Yorkshire, England. It was built in stages by different railway companies and originally extended to railway station on the Settle-Carlisle line. Since ...

in August 2018 & 2019. * LNER Class J72 no. 69023 - Under overhaul at

. Semi-permanently based at the

. * LNER Class K1 no. 62005 - Out of service, overhaul commenced at

Carnforth MPD Carnforth MPD (Motive Power Depot) is a former London Midland and Scottish Railway railway depot located in the town of Carnforth, Lancashire, England. Completed in 1944 on the site of the former Furness Railway depot, its late construction in ...

in October 2021. It is currently the NELPG's only mainline certified locomotive which means it is able to haul

excursion An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Public transportation ...

trains on the mainline. When it isn't on the mainline, it is usually in service on the

(NYMR). * LNER Class Q6 no. 63395 - Operational at the

, having had its most recent overhaul completed in September 2021.

Other

The group does not own the following locomotives but has looked after them in the past: *

LNER Peppercorn Class A2 60532 Blue Peter LNER Peppercorn Class A2 No. 60532 ''Blue Peter'' is the sole survivor of 15 4-6-2 locomotives of the A2 class, designed by Arthur Peppercorn of the LNER. 60532 worked between 1948 and 1966. It is owned by the Royal Scot Locomotive and Gene ...

(contract ended August 2011) * LNER Class Q7 no. 901

References

External links

The NELPG website: http://www.nelpg.org.uk/ Rail transport in Darlington {{England-rail-transport-stub