AN HISTORIC steam train was back in action for the first time in almost half a century at Llangollen over the weekend.
Members of the Cotswold Steam Preservation company celebrated the return to steam of their former Great Western Railway heavy freight locomotive number 2807 after a restoration project lasting 29 years.
It was the first time it had been in action since withdrawal by British Railways in 1963.
The project, based at Toddington on the Gloucestershire/Warwickshire Railway since 1981, acquired the locomotive from a South Wales scrapyard and set about scraping together the finance and spare parts to rebuild it.
With the restoration project well under way the owners chose the Llangollen Railway engineering department to carry out the major overhaul of the boiler.
Arriving at Llangollen in 2006, the heavy work on the boiler was completed and successfully steam-tested in March.
The owners decided the other parts of the engine should also come to Llangollen to allow the boiler to be fitted and fully tested as a conclusion to the project.
Seeing the locomotive move up and down the track at the Llangollen locomotive depot, a delighted Steve Price, publicity officer for the company, said: “This is a great day for the members of the company and for the locomotive.”
Number 2807 was built at Swindon in 1905.
The engine is notable as the third oldest mainline Great Western Railway-built locomotive to have survived.
George Jones from Llangollen Railway said: “The restoration of number 2807 is a great achievement for the owners and for the Llangollen Railway Engineering Department.
“The combined engineering facilities and experienced staff at Llangollen have allowed this project to come to a successful conclusion.”