12 July 2024
4415 is unique and has its own website. It is the only known survivor of a locomotive type that heralded the change from steam to diesel that was so dramatically to change the structure and operation of railways world-wide. Given its much travelled and chequered career its survival can only be classed as miraculous.
Its original trials in 1928 on the Welsh Highland Railway are well documented with reports, eyewitness accounts and photographs which reveal both its high evidential and historical values.
It is now owned by the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways Heritage Company and is held in North Wales where efforts are in progress to secure its restoration and renewed operation.
We’re not sure anyone else in the world is doing a restoration quite like this, and it does often feel like we’re in uncharted territory. If it wasn’t for how rare and historically important 4415 is, and how rare and historically important the McLaren engine is, we would have probably gone down a different route. Our aim is to have Britain’s oldest surviving diesel locomotive, in working condition, with the original 1928 type diesel engine.
Restoring a badly damaged old diesel engine with many missing parts is an expensive business. The illustration here shows just some of the big spends we have tackled on the MDB4 so far. We are very grateful to everyone who has donated to the project, and a large chunk of the funding so far has come from the Ffestiniog Railway Society. The FRS has a dedicated fund for 4415, and you can donate online by following this link. Any contribution is greatly appreciated.
Aside from financial support the project has been very lucky to have volunteers who give their time and skills for free in the areas of machining, fitting, fabrication, design work, patternmaking and a whole host of other disciplines that go towards completing a job like this.
We would also like to thank the workshop management and staff at Boston Lodge for their continued support and advice, and for letting us use their space and equipment to work on 4415.