Derelict Finnish Locomotive #1077
After seeing an article on the internet mentioning this 'Harry Potter train hidden mysteriously in the Suffolk woodlands' I decided I would have a go at finding the location. About 15 minutes spent online, and browsing a couple of old railway forums sent me to an industrial estate where the locomotive apparently was located. Looking on satellite, it was easy to see. Not hidden in woodland, not mysterious and Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen… I pinned it on the map and that's where it stayed for around a year. It's not until one Sunday at the start of this year when me and @dansgas1000 were bored that we remembered it!
We set off one chilly morning, not really knowing what to expect. We arrived, parked nearby, and then proceeded to make our way to the loco. Over a small stream and through some woodland next to the industrial estate, and we were met by it looming out of the foliage.
Dan covered the history of the locomotive well, so I won't go too in-depth with the history.
The locomotive is a VR Class TR1 which was operated by Finnish State Railways. It was built in 1953 and uses a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement. It was apparently imported in the late 1980s for use in a theme park, but it's not 100 percent known if this is true.
#1077 is one of around 12 locomotives which were imported from Finnish State Railways.
#792 used to be at Enfield Timber centre but now gone
#794 now placed in front of Blumsom Timber centre in London
#799 stored at a farm in Kent – derelict
#1008 Epping Ongar Railway – derelict
#1016 in operation near Windsor – restored
#1060 stored at a farm in Norfolk – derelict
#1077 featured here! — derelict
#1103 stored at Summercourt Scrapyard, Cornwall – derelict
#1134 stored at a farm in Kent – derelict
#1144 at Bressingham Museum – restored
#1151 now thought to be in St Albans – restored
#1157 stored at a farm in Kent – derelict
On with the photographs. I'm happy with how they came out. We spent a good few hours there, so got plenty of shots.
From behind the loco
Moving inside
Old track that the loco is resting on. This is probably Russian gauge (5'0”) whereas UK track gauge is 4'8 1/2. Finnish railways were built in Russian gauge.
A few other vehicles were dotted about too
After seeing an article on the internet mentioning this 'Harry Potter train hidden mysteriously in the Suffolk woodlands' I decided I would have a go at finding the location. About 15 minutes spent online, and browsing a couple of old railway forums sent me to an industrial estate where the locomotive apparently was located. Looking on satellite, it was easy to see. Not hidden in woodland, not mysterious and Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen… I pinned it on the map and that's where it stayed for around a year. It's not until one Sunday at the start of this year when me and @dansgas1000 were bored that we remembered it!
We set off one chilly morning, not really knowing what to expect. We arrived, parked nearby, and then proceeded to make our way to the loco. Over a small stream and through some woodland next to the industrial estate, and we were met by it looming out of the foliage.
Dan covered the history of the locomotive well, so I won't go too in-depth with the history.
The locomotive is a VR Class TR1 which was operated by Finnish State Railways. It was built in 1953 and uses a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement. It was apparently imported in the late 1980s for use in a theme park, but it's not 100 percent known if this is true.
#1077 is one of around 12 locomotives which were imported from Finnish State Railways.
#792 used to be at Enfield Timber centre but now gone
#794 now placed in front of Blumsom Timber centre in London
#799 stored at a farm in Kent – derelict
#1008 Epping Ongar Railway – derelict
#1016 in operation near Windsor – restored
#1060 stored at a farm in Norfolk – derelict
#1077 featured here! — derelict
#1103 stored at Summercourt Scrapyard, Cornwall – derelict
#1134 stored at a farm in Kent – derelict
#1144 at Bressingham Museum – restored
#1151 now thought to be in St Albans – restored
#1157 stored at a farm in Kent – derelict
On with the photographs. I'm happy with how they came out. We spent a good few hours there, so got plenty of shots.
From behind the loco
Moving inside
Old track that the loco is resting on. This is probably Russian gauge (5'0”) whereas UK track gauge is 4'8 1/2. Finnish railways were built in Russian gauge.
A few other vehicles were dotted about too
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