FOR the second time in the history of the project a Bradford firm has been involved in the project to build a new steam locomotive for a narrow gauge railway revival in Mid Wales.

The specialist company concerned is Purdie Dished Ends, of Ingleby Road, which has produced the smokebox door for the engine, a component that will be very visible to visitors, and no doubt much photographed, at the Corris Railway when it is complete.

For the non-technically minded it is where the faces appear on the engines in the “Thomas the Tank Engine” stories.

The door is due to be collected by Corris Railway volunteer Andy Cooper on Friday.

The new locomotive will be a 21st Century recreation of an 1878 design, originally built in Loughborough by the Hughes Company (now part of Brush Ltd) at its Falcon Works. The other component which has already been made in Bradford is a larger one, the boiler which was constructed by Israel Newton before that company was relocated to the Derbyshire Peak District.

Construction of the new steam locomotive, which will be number 10 in the Corris fleet, is proceeding at the workshops of Alan Keef Ltd near Ross-on-Wye as fund raising permits. Even though it is a small engine it will have absorbed the best part of £250,000, all raised by donations, before it goes into service. Once complete it will run on the narrow gauge line which can be found in the beautiful Dulas Valley north of Machynlleth and in the southern part of Snowdonia National Park.