Anonymous donor's £200,000 to restore famous loco

An anonymous donor has given £200,000 towards the restoration of a famous locomotive that appeared in The Railway Children.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) will rebuild steam engine No 5775 after receiving the financial gift.

It is best known for its appearance in the classic 1970 film, which starred Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins and Lionel Jeffries.

The locomotive was built in 1929 at the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works but has been out of service for around 25 years.

Fran Hartley, KWVR's co-leader of the restoration project, said the donation had transformed the timetable for the work.

She said: "We are incredibly grateful for this generosity.

"It has allowed us to begin restoring a locomotive that means so much to the railway and to the public.

"Our volunteers are now making steady progress and bringing this remarkable engine back to life."

No 5775, a six-wheeled pannier tank engine, operated across south Wales on Great Western Railway routes before being withdrawn by British Railways in 1963.

It was sold to London Transport where it became L89 and worked on engineering and maintenance trains across the capital.

In 1970 the engine was saved for preservation and moved to the KWVR.

It was repainted in the fictional livery of the Great Northern and Southern Railway for its film role.

The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1999 in need of a major overhaul and spent many years in storage before returning to the charity's Haworth base for assessment.

Earlier this week the first tranche of a £5m pot of government money to upgrade the KWVR was released by Bradford Council, which administers the funding.

The original funding was announced as part of a £19.8m Levelling Up deal for Keighley in 2023.

The charity's chairman, Matt Stroh, said: "We've worked closely with the team at Bradford Council and this is a great way to start the new year.

"We are delighted to be moving forward with these transformative plans.

"It will serve as the foundation for securing further investment, driving tourism, creating local jobs, and enhancing community pride."

The £50,000 released will pay for a feasibility study, including the appointment of a project manager, covering infrastructure upgrades, signalling improvements, track restoration, and facility enhancements.

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