Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway ICL No.1 'Bunny'

A rebuild of a Crewe Tractor, a First World War rail-mounted Ford Model-T car with a 0-4-0 chain coupled wheel arrangement and a built-in turntable in order for it to change direction. It was used from 1923 to 1925 until the magneto broke the gearbox casing. The engine was rebuilt in 1926, with new running gear using the onetime Sand Hutton coach's bogie giving a 2-B petrol mechanical locomotive with a steeple cab wooden body. The locomotive in this form took and still holds the speed record for the line coming down from Dalegarth Cottages to Ravenglass driven by Cecil J Allan in some 14 minutes. This body lasted until October 1928, when it was damaged in a collision with ICL No. 2 near Muncaster Mill. The locomotive received its current body during extensive repairs. It continued in occasional use with light trains until the mid-1950s but was superseded as the other internal combustion locomotives used cheaper tax free TVO and could haul full length trains. It was operable until it had the engine removed in 1961 and became a toolvan or 'The Caboose' for the permanent way gang. It is now undergoing restoration to working condition with its Ford T engine.
Category:Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Category:Built in 1923
Category:Locomotives
Category:Petrol-Electric Locomotives
Category:Preserved locomotives
Category:United Kingdom
Category:15 inch Gauge Locomotives
Category:Minimum Gauge
Category:Miniature locomotives
Category:Ravenglass Workshops
Category:Preserved Electric Locomotives