The "Barber" saga continues
Last night the South Tynedale Railway published an image on their social media of the completed work to radically alter the appearance of historically important Thomas Green 0-6-2 "Barber". The loco, pictured above was built in 1908 by Thomas Green & Sons of Leeds and spent its entire working life on the Harrogate Gas Works railway. It was even used during the construction of the railway. "Barber" was named after Francis Barber who was the chairman of the gasworks. It is also thought to be the only Thomas Green locomotive left in this part of the world "Barber" was built with a cut-down cab to allow it to fit through a tunnel with a reduced clearance, hence the somewhat squat appearance. Prior to 2015 "Barber" was last steamed in the 1940s by which time it was worn out. The rear of the frames were extremely weak due to the lowered cab. And there were also issues with its regulator. The engine had been rebuilt a number of times during its...