Our Locomotives
13030-D3030-08022 Lion
Built at Derby works, 13030 entered service in October 1953 at Old Oak Common shed just outside Paddington Station. With a large number of diesels appearing during the 1950's the early shunters, that had 5-digit numbers, were prefixed with a "D'. In August 1964 D3030 moved to Reading for a short spell before returning to Old Oak Common in November 1964. The loco was reallocated to Shirebrook West in July 1967 before being transferred to Knottingley Shed in May 1973.
The locomotive was again renumbered in February 1974, this time to 08022. The locomotive's final move to Tinsley Shed on the southern edge of Sheffield came in August 1977 and its service life finished in on 17th March 1985, when it was finally retired from British Rail.
08022 found its way to Swindon Works to be scrapped but the need of Guinness at Park Royal to replace an ageing pair of Hibberd shunters' lead to the purchase a pair of Class 08 locomotives. After repainting in black with a giant harp, the well-known Guinness symbol, added to the front radiator and with the brass nameplate ‘Lion’ added at Swindon Works, the pair of shunters (08022 and 08060), moved from Swindon to Park Royal on 20th July 1985 as 9X90, passing through Cholsey Station.
Unfortunately, a run down in rail traffic, found 08022 surplus to requirements and on 30th August 1998, it arrived at Wallingford Station along with its sister locomotive, ‘Unicorn’.
13074-D3074-08060 Unicorn
The locomotive was built at the British Rail workshops at Darlington, entering service in December 1953 at Hull Dairycoates Shed. Renumbering took place in August 1957 when it was transformed into D3074.
In January 1960 the locomotive was transferred from Hull to Leeds Neville Hill shed but it returned to East Yorkshire in September 1970 when it was moved to Hull Botanic Gardens. This move may have been a paper exercise as in October 1970 the locomotive was allocated to Lincoln shed where it remained until withdrawal on 24th June 1984.
Like 08022 the locomotive was moved to Swindon Works for disposal, however, it was given a reprieve and sold to Guinness to shunt malt traffic at Park Royal Brewery in West London. It was refurbished at Swindon Works and given its highly recognisable black livery and large harp, the well-known Guinness symbol, on the front radiator grill. It was also fitted with the nameplate ‘Unicorn’. The move from Swindon to the Park Royal Brewery site was completed on 20th July 1985 when, travelling as 9X90, the two locomotives passed through Cholsey Station, thus their use in and out of Cholsey Station by the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway was not their first visit to Cholsey!
It arrived with its sister locomotive, ‘Lion’, at Wallingford on 30th August 1998.
13190-D3190-08123 George Mason
This engine 08123 was built at the Derby works and entered service in November 1955 at the Severn Tunnel Junction Shed. It was renumbered in February 1958 to D3190 from its original number of 13190. It was then renumbered again in April 1974 and almost immediately left service.
This engine was purchased by the society from a bequest by the late George Mason, after whom the locomotive is now named.
After arriving at Wallingford on 8th June 1985, it was restored to its 1960's livery of Brunswick green paintwork complete with its pre-tops number D3190.
On 7th July 1985, it hauled the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway's first public train.
Sentinel 0-4-0 No. 6515 Isebrook
Sentinel engine No. 6515 was delivered new to the GWR on 1 October 1926 and was re-numbered as their No. 12. It was based at Swindon for use on the Malmesbury branch, and then sent to work at Brentford Goods Yard. Trials of the loco were not successful, and it was taken out of stock in December 1926, being returned to Sentinel for modifications to allow further trials, including passenger working, to take place on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway and the Malmesbury Branch.
The loco then returned to Shrewsbury, where it was used by Sentinel as a works shunter until April 1929, when once more it underwent trials, this time on the LMS at Shrewsbury. Further shunting duties followed until it was sold in October 1934 to Thomas E. Grey Ltd. of Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, where it was re-numbered No. 2 and given the name Isebrook, where it remained until 1958.
The boiler and parts of the engine were removed, and it was used as a brake van until condemned in 1972, shortly afterwards being purchased for preservation and moved to Buckingham Railway Centre. Restoration work took seven years and included fitting a reconditioned boiler and engine unit, extensive bodywork replacement as well as a complete renewal of pipework. The first steaming for over twenty years took place on 26 August 1979.
Isebrook arrived at the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway in August 2019 and is privately owned by Board member Peter Mitchell.
Hibberd No. 3270/1948 Carpenter
This small 24ton 0-4-0 diesel mechanical shunter was built by F.C. Hibberd & Co. Ltd at their Park Royal Works in West London. It bears a strong resemblance to a Hudswell Clarke design, even including the familiar steam engine style chimney.
Carpenter is powered by a Paxman Ricardo 6-cylinder 6RWT engine, developing 144bhp at 1250гpm. This drives through a fluid flywheel and a four speed semi-automatic gearbox to give a top speed of 11mph.
It was supplied (along with sister locomotive Walrus works number 3271/1949) to shunt at the Guinness Brewery, also at Park Royal, and was the first locomotive owned by Guinness on this site. The pair were employed shunting malt trains at Park Royal and were named after the Jabberwocky characters ‘Walrus’ and ‘Carpenter’, who were featured in the 1930s Guinness cartoon advertisements.
In 1986 Guinness decided to purchase a pair of surplus class 08 shunters from British Rail (Lion and Unicorn) thus rendering the two Hibberd locomotives redundant. Guinness kindly donated both these locomotives to railway preservation societies. Walrus went to Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton Road near Aylesbury, and Carpenter arrived at Wallingford on 11th October 1986.
Carpenter is currently out of traffic and being restored to working order.
Wickham Trolley WD9045-8774-No.01 Willy Skunk
Wickham Trolleys were produced to assist with inspection of the track and to also transport members of the permanent way teams to where they were needed. Over 600 type 27A Mk3 were built from nationalisation of the railways in 1948 until around 1990. They were used extensively over the whole of the British Railways network. Power is provided by a Ford Popular 10hp side-valve engine fitted with an extra reversing gear box so that the performance is the same, regardless of the direction of travel.
Our Trolley, No. 8774, was built by Wickham of Ware in 1960 and supplied to the Army to use as a fire engine at MOD Bramshall Depot, Staffordshire where it had the MOD Running No. 9045 and named Bramshall Fire Engine. It arrived at the railway in around 1998 and was renumbered No. 01 and named Willy Skunk.
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Santa Express
Take a train trip with Santa at the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway this Christmas. Be entertained by Santa's elves, be visited by Father Christmas and every child will receive a present. Book your tickets now.
Start your heritage railway journey today and book your tickets to travel through the countryside on "The Bunk"
Running Days 2023
December 2023
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January 2024
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Thursday 23 | Thursday 24 | Thursday 25 | Thursday 26 | Thursday 27 | Thursday 28 | Thursday 29 |
Thursday 30 | Thursday 31 |
February 2024
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Thursday 20 | Thursday 21 | Thursday 22 | Thursday 23 | Thursday 24 | Thursday 25 | Thursday 26 |
Thursday 27 | Thursday 28 |
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Cholsey & Wallingford Railway
Wallingford Station, 5 Hithercroft Road, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 9GQ