All aboard! Northumberland railway attraction invites visitors to follow in the footsteps of Royals
Last updated 2nd Aug 2024
A steam locomotive which once hauled members of the Royal family around the Duke of Westminster's private railway is pulling in visitors to Northumberland this weekend.
Katie - a 128-year-old steam locomotive - is transporting passengers on Heatherslaw Light Railway after a loan was agreed from Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, following a chance meeting.
It's the first visiting locomotive in the 35-year history of England's most northerly narrow gauge steam railway.
Operations manager Carl Fairless told Greatest Hits Radio: "Katie was built for the Eaton Hall estate railway and the roots of our railway are an estate railway, and I've been humbled by the outpouring of affection towards this engine.
"She's completely different (from what can normally be seen) because she was actually built for a purpose, which was to transport produce and goods from the estate up to the main line; whereas ours was built primarily for tourism to get people from Heatherslaw down to Etal.
"Back last year, I went on a visit down to Ravenglass, made some friends, and the culmination was Katie's come to visit us, and be our first ever visiting steam engine."
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