Gilbert

**Gilbert** is a narrow gauge side tank that is owned and rebuilt by the Dentin Moor Narrow Gauge Railway (DMNGR). He is one of the oddest locomotives on the line since he's the only locomotive on the railway that wasn't built for the British domestic market and the became the only DMNGR locomotive to be rebuilt.

## Bio

Gilbert was built at W. G. Bagnall in Stafford, England, for work at the Rustenberg Platinum Mines in South Africa, which now no longer a British colony following the Empire's collapse after WWII. His life in Africa is mostly unknown since he normally called it "boring and repetitive" and "nothing special ever happened there." In 1983, Gilbert was purchased by the Dentin Moor Narrow Gauge Railway for the need of a locomotive with similar power to their No. 1, but were less than pleased that he, like the others in the fleet, had four driving wheels instead of six as hoped.

He gained his DMNGR number and nameplates after a repaint into a copy of Mitch's former Southern Railway green livery, which made the former Lynton & Barnstable locomotive like the newcomer from South Africa, and even more when he proved that he was stronger than what management though he was. Despite being powerful, it has been said that Gilbert (in original form) was tricky to maintain thanks to his design and a decision was made to rebuild him into a 0-6-0T in 1990. The rebuild was carried out by Moorland Steam Railway at their workshops on the site of the former dockyard at Gladsville.

When he was returned to the DMNGR in December of that year, Gilbert was fitted with outside Walschaerts valve gear which made him the second locomotive on the railway fitted with that valve gear, which Mitch was the first.

## Livery

Before and after his rebuild, Gilbert is painted in the DMNGR's own version of the Southern Railway green livery with his number painted in yellow paint on his cab, which is the same livery as Mitch, and red driving wheel cranks.

## Basis or real locomotive

   Gilbert is based on the preserved narrow gauge 0-4-2T Gelert. It was built in 1953 by W. G. Bagnall for the Rustenberg Platinum Mines, northwest of Johannesburg in South Africa. The locomotive was fourth final locomotive built for the mine ordered between 1948 and 1953 and became displaced in the 1970s when the 2ft gauge track it was built was replaced by Cape gauge. The locomotive was brought back to the UK for preservation and is now named 'Gelert'. The locomotive can be found on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR).

As an 0-6-0T, Gilbert is still based on this locomotive but his chassis resembles that of Axe, a preserved narrow gauge Kerr Stuart locomotive on the Lynton & Barnstable Railway (L&BR) but retains his original outside frames and cranks.

## Trivia

Gilbert's name is similar to his basis.

* His name means 'bright pledge' and comes from Germanic elements.

Gilbert, along with Mitch, isn't a pure DMNGR-built locomotive. He was bought second-hand from the previous owner.

Gilbert was originally going to be a freelance design and his rebuild was originally going to call for him to be rebuilt into a 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt locomotive, but these plans were scrapped when his basis was changed.

It is mentioned that Gilbert was built with Stephenson valve gear instead of the Bagnall-Price valve gear that is fitted to his basis.

* His valve gear changed to Walschaerts to make him more easier to maintain and to make him look more powerful.

Gilbert's model was a kit body bought on Shapeways with a Fleischmann N gauge 7000 0-4-0T chassis with an extra set of 5mm trailing wheels and some card to provide outside cranks his basis.

* His model's body was later modified to take a Roco 33241 0-6-0T chassis of HOe gauge, which also had the same modification to his original chassis for outside cranks.

Gilbert is mentioned to be the second locomotive on the DMNGR to carry the number 8, which the original was a Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0PT.

Gilbert is the second character to get a permanent change of appearance. The first being Argus.