Power type Steam Build date 1949 Rebuilder Talyllyn Railway | Serial number 2263 Total produced 3 | |
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Builder Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. | ||
Tom Rolt is a narrow gauge steam locomotive constructed by the Talyllyn Railway, using parts from an Andrew Barclay locomotive built in 1949 for Bord na Móna.
Contents
Bord na Móna
The engine began life working for the Bord na Móna. This is a semi-state company in Ireland, created by the Turf Development Act, 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland. This company uses narrow gauge railways to carry vast amounts of peat.
It was one of three 3 ft (914 mm) gauge 0-4-0WT well tank locomotives built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. in 1949; initially numbered 1 to 3; they were later renumbered 43 to 45.
Talyllyn Railway
As passenger numbers continued to grow during the late 1960s the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society realised that further motive power was needed, especially as the rebuilt No. 1, Talyllyn was not performing well. However, as the 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) gauge of the Talyllyn Railway was so unusual they could not buy an engine with the correct gauge, so would either have to buy and re-gauge an engine or else make a new engine. In 1969 the Talyllyn Railway purchased an 0-4-0 well tank engine from Bord na Móna, unofficially named Irish Pete, in order to create the new locomotive they needed.
The new engine was built in 1991 at Pendre works on the Talyllyn Railway. The frames, boiler, driving wheels, cylinders and other parts of the 0-4-0 well tank engine from Bord na Móna were used. The new engine became an 0-4-2 side tank and was named Tom Rolt after the author L. T. C. Rolt who inspired the Talyllyn's preservation.
Tom Rolt is running in the standard Talyllyn Railway livery of deep bronze green lined with black borders and yellow lining.
In fiction
All the steam engines on the Talyllyn Railway (and diesel locomotive Midlander) appeared many times in The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry on the Skarloey Railway. Tom Rolt formed the basis for the character Ivo Hugh.
Unlike the rest of the Talyllyn Railway engines Ivo Hugh only appeared in one story in which he was the new engine to arrive. His name, Ivo Hugh, is a reference to his real name, Tom Rolt, with even the same amount of letters and words. Also in the book of Thomas The Tank Engine in which he appeared (New Little Engine) it was announced he was named after the former Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Skarloey Railway, Mr. Ivo Hugh. This is a reference to Tom Rolt being named after an L.T.C Rolt on the Talyllyn Railway.