On 13th November 2007 a new diesel locomotive arrived at the Fairbourne Railway. Supplied by Alan Keef Ltd, of Ross-on-Wye, this diesel-hydraulic locomotive was built by the Hunslet Engine Company in 1994 and had been used in Singapore.
Currently, the locomotive has a two-foot gauge and weighs about three tons. Before it can be used at Fairbourne it will need to be re-gauged to 12¼ inches. The motor is a 3 cylinder 25 horsepower Kubota which is sufficient to haul a Fairbourne train.
The locomotive still retains the rather gaudy orange and blue far-Eastern livery, which is likely to be toned down before it enters service. A name has yet to be decided but it is likely that the tradition of naming locomotives after old Fairbourne locomotives will continue.
The acquisition of this locomotive will allow the railway to restore its other diesel locomotive, Lilian Walter, which the railway relies upon to use as a stand-by should a steam engine fail in traffic.
