Lord Wenlock on the Derwent Valley Light Railway, 1981

I have posted my photographs of York Layerthorpe and Dunnington stations on the Derwent Valley Light Railway.

This is the third and last of my photographs of the line. I think it was taken in the spring of 1981, which was the line's last year of operation.

The locomotive shown is now at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, on whose site you can real all about its career:

This locomotive belongs to a class introduced in 1952, one of the first diesel types mass-produced by British Railways. D2298 itself was not built until October 1960, however, becoming one of a class that was to total 141 (D2200 - D2340; later known as class 04). The locomotives were ordered by BR from Drewry Car Co., who in turn had them built by other contractors. This particular machine was built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns of Newcastle, their works No. 8157 and Drewry No. 2679. 

D2298 was sent new to Lincoln and spent most of its time on BR working from there or Boston or Colwick depots. On 7 July 1968 the locomotive was sent to Gateshead but was withdrawn from service in December of that year after only eight years work. This was due to a change of BR freight policy, 'wagon load' traffic was gradually phased out in favour of block trains which do not require sorting in marshalling yards. Thus hundreds of engines like D2298 were withdrawn after very short working lives. 

D2298 was purchased from British Rail in April 1969 by the Derwent Valley Light Railway. ... At the DVLR, D2298 became No. 1 and received the name Lord Wenlock after the first chairman of the company. In 1982 it worked the very last passenger train on the DVLR, an enthusiasts special, afterwards being put up for sale. ...

In October 1982, No. 1 arrived at Quainton, having been purchased by a QRS member. It was put straight into service as No. 1 Lord Wenlock, but has since been repainted in the original BR green livery as D2298.

I have omitted a garbled history of the DVLR from that quotation.

If you want a snappy history of the line, try the Derwent Valley Light Railway site - a short section of line has been reopened in connection with the Yorkshire Museum of Farming.