W.D Austerity 2-8-0 90733 launch

WD Official Launch

W.D Austerity 2-8-0 90733 was officially launched into traffic on Tuesday 18th September 2007. It hauled a special train for invited guests who had helped during its long restoration.

History of 90733

The locomotive was built in 1945 by Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows, works number 5200 and was sent to the Netherlands State Railways. In 1953 it was sold to Statens Jarnvagar (SJ – Swedish State Railways) and in 1958 the loco as No. 1931 was withdrawn from service and stored undercover.

A group of KWVR members found the loco in an isolated clearing in Sweden and it returned to England via Hull docks to Ingrow on 12th January 1973. Since 1990 KWVR members have been restoring the loco to BR condition.

In total 935 of these locos were made, 733 were purchased by British Railways of which there are no survivors. There was never a No. 90733, it is numbered as the 734th example to work in Britain since World War II.