Arrival
16/09/1985
Status
Under Overhaul
Last Updated
23/09/2024
9655 'Bluey' - 20/28HP
MR.9655 was ordered in October 1951 by R. Fielding & Son of Blackpool, where it worked at their Warbreck Hill brickworks transporting clay from the pits to the brickworks. It was sold during the early to 1960s G.W Bungey, a second hand locomotive dealer, before being sold on to J & A Jackson in Manchester. J&A Jackson owned a number of Brickworks in the Manchester area and MR.9655 saw use at several of their sites, including Windmill Lane Brickworks and Bredbury Brickworks. With a decline in business J&A Jackson sold MR.9655 in January 1971 to Henry Oakland's Escrick Tile Works near York. Whilst at Escrick MR.9655 was repainted blue and was modified with the bodywork from a Leyland lorry. MR.9655 ran at Escrick until 1979 when the tile works ceased using their rail system
In Autumn 1981 MR.9655 entered preservation when it was donated to North Ings Farm in Lincolnshire. It became the second locomotive to run at the farm, however due to engine and clutch issues saw little use and was sold in September 1985 to a member of the Old Kiln Light Railway. However this proved to be a short stay as in August 1986 the locomotive was sold on to the Stevington and Turvey Light Railway. MR.9655 was rebuilt over many years before finally re-entering service in June 1997. It was once again disassembled for overhaul in the mid-late 2010s, and was sold in October 2022 in a dismantled state to a member of the Old Kiln Light Railway. MR.9655 is the only locomotive on the railway that has left and returned at a later date.
MR.9655 acquired the nickname Bluey in 2024 after being repainted back into the Blue livery it carried in industry at Escrick Tile Works. Bluey is currently in the workshops undergoing a substantial engine and gearbox rebuild.