Adrian Shooter (driver, right) with Jeremy Davey (fireman, left) onboard locomotive No.19 at Beeches Light Railway in 2019.
DHR19 in the station at Leighton Buzzard.

DHR 778 (originally number 19) is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, that was built in 1889 for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is preserved in the United Kingdom, and is the only DHR locomotive outside of India. The engine previously had the oldest locomotive boiler still in use anywhere in the world. The boiler was replaced in 2026

History

DHR 778 is a 0-4-0ST DHR B Class, a design built between 1889 and 1927. A total of 34 were built. By 2005 only 12 remained in use (or under repair) on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The class was designed by Sharp, Stewart and Company of Glasgow and built by them, their successors the North British Locomotive Company (NBL), and three each by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW, Philadelphia, USA), and the DHR works at Tindharia.

Number 778 (originally No.19) was built in 1889 by Sharp Stewart & Co at the Atlas Works in Glasgow. It is the only DHR locomotive outside of India. After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Museum, it was sold to enthusiast Adrian Shooter in the United Kingdom and restored to working order. It was based on Beeches Light Railway, a private railway in Oxfordshire, and has also run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the South Tynedale Railway. 778 is the only B class with a tender.[citation needed]

Locomotive No. 19B was based at the Beeches Light Railway until Shooter's death in December 2022. On 21 June 2023, the locomotive was purchased at auction for £250,000 by The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust (DTLT), with supporters raising the required money three months beforehand. Following the sale, the locomotive and its two matching carriages were relocated by the Trust to the Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth, Staffordshire.

Special events

In mid-2011, for the 40th anniversary of the Froissy Dompierre Light Railway in France, three Britain-based locomotives visited, including locomotive 778.

In 2013, locomotive 778 ran as a part of Indian Extravaganza Fest in Bedfordshire in East England, and in 2014 it was the main attraction at the South Tynedale Railway's Indian Summer Event

Further reading

1980s

  • Hughes, Hugh & Jux, Frank (1980). Steam Locomotives in India. Part 1 – Narrow Gauge. Harrow, Middlesex: Continental Railway Circle. pp. 69, 79, 87. ISBN 0-9503469-5-0.

2010s

  • Churchill, David (2019). The incredible 'B' Class. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society. pp. 1‒128.
  • Charlesworth, David (2017). The Story of 19B: the only Darjeeling 'B' class locomotive ever to leave India. Darjeeling Mail Extra. Technical assistance by David Churchill and Jeremy Davey. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society. pp. 1‒32.
  • Holden, Michael (25 February 2019). . Rail Advent.

2020s

  • Holden, Michael (29 March 2022). . Narrow gauge. Rail Advent.

2023

2024

  • . Heritage Railway. No. 317. 12 March 2024.
  • Holden, Michael (13 March 2024). . Rail Advent. Dismantling provided a number of surprises, such as the boiler, which is not the original 1889 one as thought by the trustees. … the team found a stamp marking "B 4977". … 19B's works number was 3518 whilst 4977 is an identical B class but was built 14 years later in 1903.
  • Holden, Michael (18 April 2024). . Rail Advent. The 1903-built boiler has been found to need too many repairs to be economical when compared to making a new boiler. … 19B is unlikely to return to steam until 2026. … cost of the boiler is expected to be around £150,000
  • Borg, Oliver J. (28 May 2024). . Midnight Mastermind: Darjeeling Tank locomotive No. 19. BBC Radio 2 (offset 28:28‒29:30, 32:16‒38:40). Questions set by Jeremy Davey. Archived from on 28 May 2024.
  • . Heritage Railway. No. 320. 4 June 2024. Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways' Boston Lodge Works is to design a new boiler for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Sharp Stewart B class 0-4-0SWTT No. 19B.
  • Whalley, Jon (24 May 2024). (offset 14:55‒17:58). Boston Lodge: Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways. [Boston Lodge] has recently been awarded the contract for the design of a replacement boiler for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway No. 19 B … welded barrel, welded outer wrapper, but flanged plates … Bob Yates is doing the drawing of the new layout and [Jon Whalley] will be doing some calculations … that'll go to British Engineering Services for their approval

External links

  • , 2023 trust established to maintain the locomotive