98 “L5 John Stevenson” Motor Rail 21520 of 1955

This loco is a good example of the heavy rebuilds and modifications carried out on industrial narrow gauge locos during their working lives. It was built new for the Great Wakering Brick Co., who collected it from Motor Rail at Bedford on 1 November 1955. It worked at the Millhead Brickworks (near Shoeburyness, Essex) until that works closed in 1962. In 1963, the loco was sold to the Milton Hall Brick Co, who used it at their Star Lane Brickworks – also close to Great Wakering. In 1966, the loco was moved to Cherry Orchard Lane Brickworks, near to Rochford, to the north of Southend. By July 1975, the original Dorman 2DWD engine had been replaced by a Dorman 2LD unit. By the 1980s, the years of hard work were showing, so in 1983 it was completely rebuilt with new bodywork and a Deutz air cooled engine. It was then sent back to the railway at Star Lane. In September 1988, following the arrival of a replacement loco, it moved back to Cherry Orchard Lane as spare loco.

May 1998 saw the loco purchased by Alan Keef Ltd, overhauled, and sold on to L & p Peat Products Ltd. for use at their Letham Moss works near Falkirk. This railway closed in 2004. It had been sold again to William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd. The loco then moved to Auchencorth Moss and subsequently spent a brief period at Whim Moss before returning to Auchencorth Moss. The loco finally moved to Springfield Moss in 2013. No.98 was then sold onto a private individual near Perth in 2016. It moved back south to Apedale on 28 August 2017.

With restoration nearly complete at the start of 2020, the loco has received extensive work. The wheels, which are steel rather than the usual chilled cast iron used on Motor Rail locos, have been built up using MIG weld and then turned on a lathe. Almost all of the brake parts have had to be repaired or replaced. The gearbox has been completely rebuilt with new bearings (the original output bearing had vacated the gearbox!). Bespoke “stealth” sanders were made for it as in its rebuilt form the only sanding equipment was holes in the floor to kick the sand through. As the original engine was missing when the loco arrived the search began for a replacement Deutz, as these are sought after engines and therefore hard to find, a similar “Alsthom DIESELAIR 316” 3 cylinder air cooled engine was sourced. This new engine required some modifications to make it fit in the loco, including modifying the pulley arrangement for the fan, a purpose made mounting plate for the flywheel end (inspired by that fitted to MR1320), and an adaptor plate to allow a Motor Rail flywheel to be fitted. The loco first moved under it’s own power on the 24/12/2019. Since then the cab and running board have been fitted and the bodywork painted orange.