This is another very popular 20/28 Simplex. The loco was ordered by the War Office and was dispatched on 14/10/1941 to an unknown location. It was returned to Motor Rail, reconditioned, and sold on to a contractor, John Cochrane & Sons Ltd. It was dispatched on 16/6/47 to Beauly station, Invernesshire and employed on a hydroelectric scheme contract in the Scottish Highlands.
In 1952, the loco was noted in the Hayes yard of George Bungey, a well known loco dealer. Bungey sold the loco on to Preston Corporation at their Spade Mill reservoir at Longridge, Lancashire. The loco spent the rest of it’s working days at Spade Mill, transferring in due course (with the site) to the North West Water Authority (N.W.W.A.). In 1987, the loco moved to storage at a N.W.W.A. yard at Ormskirk. Shortly afterwards, N.W.W.A. placed the loco on loan tho the MRT, arriving in September 1987.
When new, this loco would have been fitted with a direct injection Dorman 2DW or 2DWD diesel engine. It is likely, that whilst owned by the North West Water Authority, it acquired, a Dorman 2HW from an older Motor Rail. This type of engine, which uses indirect injection, was built before Dorman started using direct injection in their engines, the engine therefore has saltpeter cartridge starters for cold starting, these being a non electrical version of glow plugs, the engine produces a characteristic ‘knocking’ noise and a higher engine speed, but such engines are less efficient at high specific power outputs.
The loco was suffering from a pair of worn out clutch release forks, which should be rounded, not square, which made the clutch very sharp, this has been rebuilt using weld and an unused right hand drive version as a template, the loco now pulls off perfectly.