Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0ST “No.16”
No.16 Restoration Appeal
Help us to restore a real piece of Northamptonshire’s history back to working order.
Any amount you can contribute will make a real difference.
Could you sponsor a part of the restoration?
The approximate costs of different components are as follows:
- Boiler tubes – £30 each (200 in total)
- Wash out plugs – £100 each (15 in total)
- Removal of boiler, non-destructive testing and survey – £1000
- Water gauge frames – £2000
- Injectors – £2000 each (2 needed)
- New cab – £8,000
- New water tank – £15,000
Whatever you can spare, it will all go towards helping see No.16 back in steam. Thank you.
History
This 0-6-0 saddle tank loco was built in 1934 by Hawthorn Leslie (works no.3837) for Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd, specifically to work at the (then new) Corby Iron and Steel Works, where it stayed its whole working life until withdrawn in 1969.
The locomotive has not steamed since 1969 and has led something of a nomadic life, including being on static display at Leatherhead Water Park from 1985 to 2010.
No.16 arrived at Northampton & Lamport Railway in 2025, having been brought here by its current owner for temporary storage. In early 2026 the NLR launched a fundraising appeal to enable it to purchase the loco and secure its future back in the county where it spent its whole working life. The appeal was extremely successful and the fundraising target was reached in under 2 months! With transfer of ownership completed immediately afterwards, the loco is now owned by Northampton Steam Railway Ltd (the NLR’s operating company).
The loco is largely complete and some initial restoration has already been undertaken by the previous owners.
Large Donations
If you would like to make a large donation to the project (>£100), please contact us first to discuss making the donation direct. This would avoid the modest service fees we incur through fundraising platform, ensuring every penny of your donation goes to the appeal.
NLR Chairman, Adam Giles said:
“Taking ownership of No.16 is fantastic for the NLR, especially as we celebrate our 30th anniversary of opening to the public back in 1996. These type of engines proved to be extremely strong and reliable and were favourites among the enginemen at Corby. No.16 will be ideal for our 2-mile line, and the relatively large cab will be prove very useful for driver experiences.
We can’t fully start on the restoration until with have ‘Ajax’ back in steam, but if we can build a kitty in the mean time it will allow us to crack on when the time comes. Every penny we receive will go towards getting No.16 back into steam.”
WE NEED TO EVENTUALLY RAISE APPROXIMATELY £100,000 TO MAKE THIS DREAM A REALITY.
We know the target may seem very large and distant at present. It would be reasonable to think “What good would my modest donation do? It would be a drop in the ocean“. However, please be assured your support can and will make a real difference. We will also be exploring opportunities for grand funding and sponsorship along the way, to help give the project a major boost. Thank you.
Photos
If you have any old photographs (or video) of No.16, either when in service at Corby or during preservation, please do get in touch, as we’d love to be able to tell the story of No.16’s past in as much detail as possible.
Images or correspondence can be sent to webteam@nlr.org.uk