10 Mar The story of the acquisition of HSNGR’s RFS 106 Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive
The Halesworth to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway, the forerunner of the Halesworth to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway CIO (‘HSNGR’), took delivery of the 900mm gauge RFS diesel-hydraulic locomotive No. RS 106, ‘Mary’ in July 2018. This classic British locomotive, built in 1989, was originally used for surface (as opposed to underground) work on the surface during the construction of the Channel Tunnel.
The two founding Co-chairman of the HSNGR, James Hewett and Ken Ledran Penrose bought the RFS from Alan Keef Ltd of Lea, near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire in July 2018. James and Ken had gone to view another locomotive at Alan Keefs. That was another 900mm ex-Channel Tunnel locomotive but it was one that had also worked underground at Shakespeare Cliff but which had a rack and pinion arrangement, which had been fitted to prevent the locomotive slipping in the wet conditions in which it worked.
This locomotive has the widely-used Cummins turbo-diesel engine rated at 150hp which is more than adequate for pulling future heavy trains on the railway and it is fitted with locomotive and train air-brakes.
– Photo 1, an undated photo of the RFS working on the Channel Tunnel project at Shakespeare Cliff, Dover in Kent.
-Photo 2, taken in the yard of Alan Keef Ltd in July 2018 prior to James Hewett and Ken Ledran Penrose buying it on behalf of the HSNGR Society.
– Photo 3, the repainted and refurbished RFS being used to do some light shunting at the HSNGR workshop test track in 2023.
– Photo 4, Sister locomotive, RFS 101, at the West Clare railway in County Clare Ireland
