A railway engine that spent its working life in Bradford has found a happy retirement in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Ruston and Hornsby diesel engine, regarded as part of Yorkshire Water’s industrial heritage, has been given a new home on the preserved Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway, near Skipton.

The engine, named Vulcan, used to be based at Chellow Heights Water Treatment Works and Thornton Moor Water Treatment Works in Bradford. Its role was to pull wagon-loads of dirty sand from the works’ slow sand filter beds to a washing plant. The railway was abandoned in June 1972 when the last of the filters was taken out of commission.

Until recently it was leased to the Abbey Light Railway in Kirkstall, Leeds, where it pulled passenger coaches round a small, 2ft gauge railway. But following the death of the railway’s owner, Peter Lowe, the business closed and Yorkshire Water was asked to move its locomotive.

The rest of the engines were going to Wales, but the utility company was adamant that this piece of Yorkshire’s heritage should stay in the county.

Stephen Walker, from Embsay and Bolton Abbey steam railway, said: “The locomotive will make its public debut on the 2ft demonstration line at Embsay station over our gala weekend from Saturday, May 4, to Monday, May 6.”