IT WAS anything but a ‘standard’ month for locomotive comebacks, as three British Railways Standard 4s and a ‘2MT’ all returned to running order in August, significantly boosting the operational fleets of four railways.
Fresh from welcoming Riddles ‘Britannia’ No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell back into steam, the Great Central Railway (GCR) put Standard Mogul No. 78018 through its paces for the first time on August 17, the loco having last turned a wheel in anger almost exactly 50 years ago (November 1966).
The locomotive has been partly restored by Darlington Railway Preservation Society, but finished off by Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group, and neatly fills the void left by classmate No. 78019, which was hooked from service in 2015 at the expiry of its boiler certificate.
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Read more in September’s issue of The RM
