Steaming by the Sea

The North Norfolk Railway have been holding their steam gala weekend and B and I came across this engine approaching Kelling Halt during our walk over the heath.  Engine 53809 was built in 1925 by Robert Stephenson & Company in Darlington and is a class of engines used for heavy duty hauling of coal and goods.
However, it has rather a sad history.  On 20 November 1929, locomotive No. 89 (Later 53809) was taking a freight train north towards Bath and when traveling through Combe Down Tunnel due to the train moving slowly (which wasn’t helped due to the weight of the train and the stop at Midford) the crew of the engine were overcome by the smoke resulting in the train running away down the hill crashing in the goods yard outside Bath Green Park, the driver Henry Jennings and two shunters in the yard were killed in the accident.
It had a boiler overhaul in 2016 and came to the NNR in 2018 on a long term operational contract.


On a lighter note, the extra is a wren that posed nicely for us on our way back to Kelling holiday village for a coffee. 


A chilly walk but beautifully sunny and lots of blue sky.