[T]his weekend, The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society will officially launch their newest addition to join the historic Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway visitor attraction on the West Coast of Cumbria.
The magnificent new Krauss steam locomotive formerly known as ‘The Train from Spain’ will be officially named ‘Whillan Beck’ at a special naming ceremony at 12 noon on Saturday 5 May. During the ceremony the dedicated team who has worked tirelessly to get Whillan Beck into service will be thanked and celebrated. The locomotive has been in service since March at Ravenglass but the first public train after the official naming ceremony will depart Ravenglass at 15.10 on Saturday 5 May.
The new addition to The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway would not have been possible without the innovative fundraising initiative ‘The Train from Spain Appeal’. The locomotive was brought from Spain, where it has had a chequered history from its build in 1929. Extensive works were carried out over two years to bring the locomotive into working order.
Mr Sam Dixon, Hon. Chairman for The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society says; “Fifty years after introducing their steam locomotive River Mite to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, the Preservation Society are delighted to be formally launching and naming their magnificent new Krauss steam locomotive Whillan Beck. In service on the railway since March, it has already proven itself to be more than capable of handling the busiest of trains on the railway; a remarkable feat after 85 years stored in Spain. We look forward to the locomotive delivering reliable service to the railway for decades to come and continuing as a significant new attraction for the railway.”
