Respite had previously worked at the Astley Green, Ladysmith & Bickershaw collieries until 1978. It was then donated to the National Railway Museum in 1982, where parts were removed and used in the construction of the broad gauge replica Iron Duke.
After many years stored at York, Respite was re-assembled and travelled by road to become the first steam locomotive on site at Riversway, arriving on 19th March 1998, twelve months before the rest of the collection was moved to site. The boiler of Respite has been found to be in good condition, and it is likely that this will be transplanted to “Shropshire” to enable a speedy return to traffic.
In the mean time, the owner makes steady progress on the acquisition, restoration and machining of new components for Respite.
‘Respite’ at Bickershaw Colliery in 1976
