Rail enthusiasts bid to restore historic Fife steam train back to its former glory

A group of rail enthusiasts in Lathalmond are fundraising in a bid to restore a piece of Fife history.

Locomotive No29 was built in 1908 for the Fife Coal Company’s Mary Pit in Lochore.

After being out of service for half a century, it’s now under the care of the Shed47 Railway Restoration Group, who are hoping to restore the train to its former glory and get it back on the tracks.

For the volunteers it’s a labour of love, grinding back the years piece-by-piece.

Alexander Briggs from the Shed47 Railway Restoration Group said the team love the work they do.

He said: “Well, you get a sense of achievement actually when you get a load of basically junk coming and it gradually manifests itself into a working item, that’s really where you get the kicks from.”

The train is an Andrew Barclay steam locomotive affectionately known as No. 29.

At the peak of its working life it hauled coal for many of the collieries across Fife, operating at the Mary pit in Lochore, the Lindsay Colliery in Kelty, Cowdenbeath Central Workshops, Bogside Mine and Frances in Dysart.

Grant Robertson from Shed47 said: “It was then put into a playpark in Danderhall originally, stayed there for a few years and then it was rescued by the guys at Prestongrange Railway Society.

“They took it into their safekeeping and then seven years ago it made its way across to us and we started work on it and getting it to the stage it’s at now.”

Steam engines like No29 were fondly known as “Pugs” and were used around Scotland’s coal mines until as late as 1981.

The team has already managed to raise enough funds to get the boiler sent away for expert repair, which means that within the next few months it will be lit by fire for the first time in 50 years.

The last part of the journey will involve a fresh lick of paint before it returns to service, hopefully next year.

But for it to make a complete return to the track, the team are hoping for local support to get it through its final phase. Anyone willing to make a donation to the project can do so on the group’s campaign page.

“It will be a fantastic feeling when it launches ready to take passengers,” added Robertson. “And that will free up space in the workshop for our next big project.”