THE FURNESS RAILWAY TRUST

Cumbria was the Furness Railway Trust's first steam locomotive.

It is in action at the Battlefield Line in rural Leicestershire for 2016. 

This follows a summer 2015 stint at the Mid Norfolk Railway, its first workings following heavy general overhaul which included a major rebuilding of the firebox.

The Trust awarded the contract to the Severn Valley Railway's Boilershop to fabricate and fit a new copper firebox tubeplate, renew all the boiler tubes, and replace a number of the stays which hold the inner and outer fireboxes apart. The rear outer firebox at the shoulders on both sides has also been replaced.

While the boiler was away at Bridgnorth, new pistons were fitted and a new saddletank manufactured.

Cumbria ran well beyond the magical 100,000 miles on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway - almost certainly the first standard gauge former industrial locomotive in the country to achieve such a feat!

After leaving the LHR, the engine clocked up two consecutive gala appearance at the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston, co-starring in the February 2010 event alongside FRT stablemate 5643.  

This was the first time the pair have been in steam at the same time at the same site. It is fitting that this was achieved at the RSR, the heritage line that offered the FRT space to create a restoration workshop and museum.

Then Cumbria moved to the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway in the Yorkshire Dales from spring 2010 for what was planned to be a 12 month hire. Unfortunately this was curtailed by the discovery of the firebox crack. 

Cumbria also found work taking children to meet Father Christmas at the end of 2009, on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway in Oxfordshire.

It is seen here exchanging greetings with famous new build Pacific Tornado when the latter passed Cholsey.

There is a full history of the locomotive. It was built in 1953, and had an amazingly leisurely first 20 years of its life in Army service, before being bought by members of the Lakeside Railway Society in 1974. It was named after the new local authority created in the area that year.

Since then, ownership has passed to the Furness Railway Trust.

"Cumbria" became a stalwart of L&HR services - accounting for around 40% of the total passenger mileage recorded on the three-and-a-half-mile railway. It was ideally suited to the challenging run coping admirably with 200 tonne plus trains on gradients up to 1 in 70.

Since 1995 "Cumbria" has run in Furness Railway livery, carrying the number FR 150, in conjunction with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the FR in 1996. This colour scheme of course matches the Trust's Furness Railway Number 20, the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in the country.

Please contact us if you wish to hire this workhorse on its anticipated return to service in 2015.