Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Ann

(C) Dave Outibridge. Ann is a vertical boilered Sentinel locomotive which was built in 1927, and carries works number 7232. She is believed to be the oldest original example of a Sentinel locomotive. All her working life was spent at British Tar Products at Irlam, near Manchester, until withdrawl round about 1969. An attempt to overhaul this tiny sentinel took place during the 1980s, when a school metalwork teacher took it to the school as a project for some of his students. When the students left, the loco returned to Embsay.

Ann before the project began. (C) Ian Douglas. The two-cylindered engine, seen during dismantling. (C) Ian Douglas. The unusual design of the high pressure boiler is seen here. (C) Ian Douglas.

The sentinel on the road to a return, seen here on the shed base. (C) Ian Douglas. At Embsay she lay derelict and then partly restored for a total of thirty six years until she was taken on by Ian Douglas, the railway's Treasurer, as his own project in 1995. The return to steam was achieved in early 1998 (seen in the top photograph, taken by Dave Oughtibridge), and since then it has been used in winter to provide a source of carriage heating in the mornings so that passengers can enjoy warm coaches. Ann is well suited to this as steam can be raised in forty five minutes from cold, or about fifteen minutes if the fire is lit the night before. Besides this duty, Ann will also act as station pilot, and possibly even haul some short goods trains.

There is another web page with some different photographs of Ann, as well as more of its history before arriving on the line. This can be found at: http://www.ncordingley.demon.co.uk/Ann/ann.htm

More photos of Ann at Embsay

(c) Charles Adams In 1997, Ann was completed whilst outside on the then-isolated shed base. The trackwork was rebuilt to allow Ann to come off the shed base, the Class 14 to go on, and Monckton to be removed for restoration. Here Ann undertakes her first run in preservation, as the P-Way team build the temporary connection with the mainline.
(c) Charles Adams.
(c) Charles Adams (c) Charles Adams (c) Charles Adams
Hauling the dead engines off the shed base (or at least, attempting to!) with Ian and Happy. (69, Monckton and S112.)
(c) Charles Adams.
(c) Charles Adams Ann's role initially was as a 'steam heat' boiler to warm the trains before the Santa Specials ran. Seen here from the footbridge.
(c) Charles Adams.
(c) Tom Ireland Inside the new shed, Ann is lifted up on the jacks, allowing access underneath as there is no pit in this part of the shed. At the same time, the loco is having a repaint, seemingly into the black livery as opposed to the Caledonian blue it has previously carried at Embsay.
(c) Tom Ireland.
(c) Tom Ireland Another photo taken inside the shed showing the progress being made on the repaint and the contrast in colour schemes! Hopefully the loco should be ready for the 2003 Harvest of Steam.
(c) Tom Ireland.
(c) Tom Ireland The requirement for a boiler inspection was the prompt for the work being carried out, and here is the interior of the boiler, showing once again its unusual design now that it has been separated from its outer section.
(c) Tom Ireland.
(c) Tom Ireland Basking in the sun in platform 2 during the 2003 Harvest of Steam, showing off the new paintwork was all Ann could do as the bolier work wasn't completed in time.
(c) Tom Ireland.
(c) Tim Warner (c) Tim Warner (c) Tim Warner (c) Tim Warner (c) Tim Warner
The 2004 Harvest of Steam saw Ann operational once more, and hauling her first passenger train... ever! Because Ann is not fitted with a vacuum brake, the visiting Peckett provided the vacuum, and Ann's crew had a brake valve in the cab. This operation reflected the early days of operation, prior to obtaining an LRO. (c) Tim Warner.

Top Locomotives

Yorkshire Dales Railway Museum Trust (Holdings) Limited
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Bolton Abbey Station, Bolton Abbey, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 6AF
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