Photo:
Adrian Aylward - Ruston 459518 newly arrived in the Up Yard

This 1961 built Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 shunter has a central cab. It has a Paxman 6 cylinder 6RPHL water cooled engine and is rated at 4,899cc per cylinder, producing 275bhp at 1360rpm. This LSSH type locomotive measures 25ft (7.823m) long.

It has Paxman hydraulic transmission which utilises the main diesel fuel as transmission fluid in order to operate and has a three stage torque converter. It is fitted with a two speed gearbox. The main gear for shunting is the Direct Drive, it also has an Overdrive gear which is only used for light loads at speed. It is currently fitted with a Broome & Wade air brake system of the standard railway operating type.

This locomotive was selected for preservation by the society for a number of reasons. The museum collection policy tries to collect rolling stock that has operated in the local area. This locomotive was stabled at Wembley Depot (on the Metropolitan and Great Central Joint Railway) for a number of years whilst operated by Chiltern Railways. It is also now vintage, being over 55 years old! We aim to preserve items from this era and indeed it is older than our Diesel Electric shunter Type 165. We aim to model the 1960s with our diesel collection and have recently repainted our BR Class 04 (D2298) into 1960s livery.

We have in our collection a Diesel Mechanical shunter and a Diesel Electric shunter. So we needed a Diesel Hydraulic shunter in order to complete the collection and tell the story. Finally, it is a Thomas™ character. It is very similar to a Thomas™ character called Salty. Salty is a BR Class 07 (type LSSE diesel electric) which is painted maroon and helps Bill & Ben the twin dock engines. In our first DOWT since its arrival, it was recognised by many children and proved very popular even though it was blue with no face!! The Type LSSE has a slightly different cab profile and some technical differences. Interestingly, the LSSE was a failure due to low bhp caused by the electric transmission, whilst the LSSH (hydraulic) was a total success!! The locomotive is planned to be painted in Maroon and given a face on DOWT days in order to give more attractions on these days. It will act as a model for photographs as the 04 (D2298) does at the present as it poses as Mavis.

It has been retro fitted with a vacuum brake since arrival at Quainton, it is now dual braked with both vacuum and air brakes. It can therefore be used with the majority of our rolling stock and will be able to haul passenger trains on Diesel days and as a Thunderbird locomotive.

History: It was originally ordered by the MOD, numbered 423 and was based at Bramley where it worked until 28th June 2003. After this it travelled to the Avon Valley Railway where it had an engine overhaul. It next travelled to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in December 2004. Here it was named Cromwell. On the move again to next went to the Nottingham Heritage Museum in February 2005. Here it was renamed Churchill. After a period of being out of use the locomotive was purchased by Chiltern Railways. It was given a blue livery and renamed Scaz in October 2010. Declared surplus to requirements, in 2016 the locomotive was put up for disposal. It was at this point that the team at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre came to its rescue. It now is safe from the cutters torch and should give us many years of revenue earning service and will entertain a new generation of future enthusiasts!

Photo:
Adrian Aylward - Ruston 459518 in the Up Yard with D2298