Isle of Wight Steam Railway orders new boiler for W2 Yarmouth
Work to restore the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s E1 Class locomotive has taken a giant leap forward with the ordering of a brand new boiler from Israel Newton & Sons Ltd.
The locomotive is the sole survivor of her class, and the Railway aims to restore her in time for her 150th birthday in 2026.
Four similar locomotives came to the Island in the 1930s, primarily for goods traffic, but also to haul ‘the Tourist’ through trains from Ventnor to Freshwater. The last E1 to run on the Island was withdrawn in 1960s with all four scrapped. Fortunately one example survived at Cannock Wood Colliery on the mainland which was later preserved at the Chasewater and East Somerset Railways.
The engine was bought by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in 2012 with the help of a legacy from the late Mr Raymond Harvey. His wish was to see an E1 Class run on the Island in the guise of W2 Yarmouth in Southern Railway olive green livery.
Andrew Summers, Rolling Stock Manager at The Isle of Wight Steam Railway said: “We are delighted to have placed this order with Israel Newton. There’s still lots of work to do to return the E1 to traffic, however ordering the new boiler is the first major step in achieving our goal. We look forward to the loco running alongside O2 Class Calbourne and our two ‘Terriers’, bringing together the three classes synonymous with the Isle of Wight in the Southern Railway and nationalised era.”