Appleby Frodingham Railway. The Appleby Frodingham Railway - Scunthorpe is based at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. The society owns locomotives and rolling stock but not the railway it runs on. The name comes from the Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company, now known as British Steel Limited Scunthorpe after the companies buyout by Greybull Capital in 2016, and after going into compulsory liquidation in 2019, Jingye Group. The railway operates entirely within the Steelworks limits over tracks normally used for moving molten iron, steel and raw materials. Trains travel between , all within the steelworks.

History

Occasional excursion trains were run around the Scunthorpe Steel Works site (such as in 1986) using the works' own locomotives.

In 1990, British Steel PLC were  celebrating their 100 years of  steelmaking at their plant in Scunthorpe. The works asked every department the works were asked to join in with the celebrations. Keith Norris, who was rail traffic manager at the time, spoke with the works loco drivers and it was decided the Rail Traffic Department would borrow a steam engine and a coach to take a group of invited dignitaries around the site. 

After the first tour, over 100  trips were run for school children and  members of the public during the 1990 celebrations. With the last trip in 1990 running in the September, but  requests for tours around the work kept coming in.

At the end of 1990, some of the works  drivers met with British Steel PLC management and asked if they could run the tours again for the following year. And with this, and management is full agreement, the idea of a railway preservation group was born. 

"Belerphon", borrowed from the Vintage Carriage Trust at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. British Rail  donated 2 ex-Class 108 DMU Carriages to be used on Rail Tours. RailTours were run throughout the  year and donations collected were put towards the  maintenance of the coaches and rolling stock.

1992 saw the arrival of "Arnold Machin", an 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunter from (named at the time) East Coast Slag co. which  was overhauled and returned to working order, whilst steam traction was provided by "Sir Berkley". This locomotive again on loan from the Vintage Carriages Trust. Towards the end of 1992, a member saw an advert in the Railway Press for a Polish steam locomotive being sold by a Polish Steelworks. With these locos being ideal for operations around the work, 2 members decided to visit the  plant in Poland and "Hutnik" was  purchased and brought back to Scunthorpe.

In 1993, "Hutnik" (Polish for Iron worker) took charge of her first  train, becoming the staple motive power for the next 12 years. 

In 1995, after a members' purchase, a Pecket 0-4-0 saddle tank was brought to Scunthorpe, and after receiving a full overhaul, joined "Hutnick" hauling passengers.

Since then, the society has been home to many privately owned locomotives and rolling stock, including a Bagnal 0-4-0 Diesel-hydraulic bought by a members consortium and a steam locomotive owned by a group of volunteers at the Derwent Valley Light Railway.

On occasions, internal steelworks (radio controlled) Locomotives have also been used on passenger trains to the delight of visitors, and with many thanks to British Steel.

Locomotives

Rolling Stock

Special Events

Irregular special events are organised such as 'Diesel Days' where Corus and other visiting locomotives operated a series of trains through the day. For example, in 2003 one of each type of internal steelworks locomotive: a Yorkshire Engine Company Janus, a Hunslet Anchor Locomotive and a 'High Line locomotive', together with an EWS Class 08 were used on the Gala trains, each making one round trip of around  using the societies Brake Vans and Class 108 DMU Carriages.

It is not unusual for the passenger trains to be stopped to allow steelworks trains to pass. It is sometimes possible to see trains carrying molten iron from the "Queens" - Blast Furnaces.

External links

Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society website
British Steel Limited's Website

Heritage railways in Lincolnshire