SMR - Trojan

When the first railway was built in Sheffield, the Schwabs acquired (1922) a little 0-4-2T from the Jubb engineering company to operate the line, and this engine subsequently moved with the family to Saltwood. The engine ran without name or number, and was well suited to the limited operation of a private family line with just one 2-seater coach!

However, the line was soon to expand, with public operating days becoming the norm. A more powerful engine was required. The solution for Frank and Alex Schwab in 1928 was to set about rebuilding the engine in the style of a Raven Atlantic 4-4-2, in which guise she re-entered service with the number “471” and the name “Trojan”. Photographs from this period are rare.

Then in 1929 the father and son rebuilt the engine again, retaining both name and number, but re-styling the locomotive essentially as a North British Atlantic. In this style, she was a very handsome machine, and although the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement never proved ideal for drivers, the engine was a great hit with her passengers.

On the Saltwood line, Trojan ran with “SMR” on her tender sides. However, after serving the Schwabs from 1922 to 1970, the engine was finally sold to Jack Lillington, who established her in the fleet of the Wellington Country Park Railway, with a repaint into “LNER” livery and markings. Here she served throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, when she was sold on to a sudden buyer, whose details were never recorded. Sadly, at this point the trail goes cold, and Trojan has never been heard of since. We would be grateful if anyone with any knowledge as to her current whereabouts could contact us via email.

Above: On Saltwood Miniature Railway, about 1950.

Below: On Wellington Country Park Railway, in 1980.