Bluebell Railway is launching Britain's newest steam locomotive within the next few weeks. Its new-build LBSCR Marsh Atlantic No 32424, named Beachy Head, will be in service at the railway between August 23 and September 1. The locomotive is an attempt to recreate the original 32424 Beachy Head, which stopped running in 1958.
READ MORE: You could have a Christmas dinner on a steam train at Bluebell Railway The project began over two decades ago helped by volunteers and enthusiasts at the railway in Sheffield Park. The aim was to build an accurate replica of the locomotive and revive a part of railway history which many people feared had gone for good. It involved major research to find the original plans.
Modern technology was used along with traditional methods to construct the locomotive, which was only finished this year. A spokesman for Bluebell Railway said: "We are proud to announce that our new build LBSCR Marsh Atlantic No 32424 Beachy Head will be launched into traffic at the Bluebell Railway. "The project was driven by a dedicated team of volunteers and enthusiasts at our railway.
"This ambitious endeavour aimed not only to build an accurate replica but also to revive a part of railway history which many had thought had been lost for ever. "The construction spanned years of meticulous work which in 2024 reached its ultimate goal and created this amazing new-build locomotive that we see today. "Ready for traffic, this is a milestone moment in railway preservation tha.