Trustworthy, administrator
11,873
edits
Changes
m
add category
<noglossary>
{{Infobox diesel loco
|image = Fowler No. 17 Bridgnorth.jpg
|weight =
}}
</noglossary>John <noglossary>Fowler </noglossary> 0-4-0DM shunter No 17 ‘Highflyer’ was the SVR’s second first diesel locomotive. It arrived in 1971 and was used on engineers’ trains until 1981, when it suffered a catastrophic engine failure. It was scrapped the following year.
== No 17 in service ==
No 17 was built by John <noglossary>Fowler </noglossary> & Co of Leeds as Works No 22912 of 1940. It was a 150 h.p. Diesel Mechanical 0-4-0 shunter and was delivered new to the Royal Ordnance Factory at Swynnerton near Stone, Staffordshire in July 1940. In 1958 the locomotive moved to another Royal Ordnance Factory at Chorley Lancashire where it was given the number 17. However it soon became surplus to requirements there and was transferred to the [[:Category:Rolling stock associated with the Longmoor Military Railway|Longmoor Military Railway]], where it was used as an instructional locomotive for diesel fitters and engineering training.<ref name=SB6>SVR Stock Book Sixth Edition</ref>
== No 17 in preservation ==
No 17 was initially acquired by the Dart Valley Railway Association. It was offered to the SVR on loan and arrived by road at Bridgnorth on 10 April 1971. It was the first Diesel locomotive on the SVR and by coincidence, the 17th locomotive to arrive overall.<ref name=SB6/> It was put to work on engineers’ trains and was photographed working at Bewdley South Junction later that year.<ref>SVR News 25</ref> By spring 1972 it had been purchased by the SVR and repainted in fully lined out LNER express passenger livery by Bob Timmins and Gordon Allen, who also gave it the nickname "Highflyer".<ref>SVR News 23</ref><ref name=SVR133>SVR News 133</ref> In October 1973 It was used to drag new timber baulks into place during the first refurbishment of the [[Cleobury Road Bridge]] at Bridgnorth.<ref>SVR News 31</ref>
In summer 1973 No17 was based at Bridgnorth, acting as standby locomotive for [[Ruston and Hornsby 165hp Diesel Shunter 319290|Ruston 319290]].<ref>SVR News 28</ref> However it continued to see use up and down the line and on Sunday 2nd August 1976, during the 'long hot summer', No 17 took a spare Hawksworth 4,000 gallon tender to [[Safari Park|Spring Grove ]] near the [[Devil's Spittleful (Rifle Range) Bridge]] to supply water to the Hereford and Worcestershire County Fire Brigade who were fighting a major forest fire which raged for several days.<ref>SVR News 41</ref>
No 17’s working life on the SVR ended in 1981,<ref>SVR News 60</ref> when the locomotive suffered a major engine failure while working an engineers’ train on the Waterworks straight en route to Bridgnorth. The engine’s crank-shaft broke and a con rod went through the side of the engine block. After this failure No 17 was stored at Eardington, before being moved to Highley where it was broken up in July 1982.<ref name=SVR133/>
[[Category:Featured articles]]
[[Category:Rolling stock associated with the Longmoor Military Railway]]
