About five years ago, I posted a series of photos of these two locomotives, found under a tarp, bales of old hay, and discarded debris in the English midlands. They were tank locos that had been used at an industrial site, displaced by Diesels, and pushed into a corner, and forgotten. Adopted by Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, a group of middle-aged and up railfans, they brought the little blue locomotive (no face on the smokebox) back to service this week. She is about to be fired for the first time in years. The green loco breathed life again, last year. Photos courtesy of Richard Buckby.
Remember, these people have restored an entirely overgrown and forgotten railway line by themselves, with some public funding, some donated equipment, but mostly by showing up and throwing themselves into the tasks at hand. Pretty impressive, going from a thicket to a railroad. People show up, the whining is minimal, the sweat is equal, the work gets done. What a model for the rest of us!