A Ghost Returns to its Old Haunts!

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When the huge Exton Park quarry system dieselised around fifty years ago, the resident fleet of distinctive steam locomotives were displaced and now only one or two of the type survive.

It was with a great deal of pride that we welcomed part-restored Yorkshire Engine Company No.2521 to the Museum collection in early April 2012 to recall the use of these locomotives on the Exton Park system and over our Museum site. The locomotive, which is part of the National Coal Mining Museum collection, was built in the same series as those used at Exton Park but was allocated to work at the Appleby-Frodingham works at Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire as their No.9 until sold off to the National Coal Board in its last years of operation.

The restoration of the locomotive will allow the distinctive Exton Park livery used by the Ore Mining Branch of the United Steel Companies to be compared and contrasted with the similar livery carried by the Janus diesel engine DE5 which superseded the type and is already part of the collection.

We hope to reunite two retired Exton Park footplate crew with the locomotive as soon as the conservation work is carried out.

We thank the support of the National Coal Mining Museum and the custodian group, The Chesterfield Locomotive Carriage & Wagon Group.