The history of British Railways Western Region locomotive 6989 Wightwick Hall: March 1948 to March 2020

Steam locomotive 6989 'Wightwick Hall' is a modified hall class locomotive from the illustrious Great Western Railway stable. They were excellent muti-purpose engines performing both passenger and freight duties with style.'Wightwick Hall' is one of six of its class to survive in preservation and is stabled at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton. This book traces the locomotive's history from leaving Swindon Works to go to Hereford Shed in March 1948; operation of the loco until its disposal for scrap in July 1964; rescue from Barry Scrapyard in 1978 by the Quainton Railway Society's 6989 Restoration Group; a marathon 42 year long restoration by a team of unpaid volunteers and a few specialist contractors; entry back into service in March 2019 and its first hire to the Battlefield Line. Learn about the trials and tribulation of restoring a scrap locomotive and the immense satisfaction of seeing, hearing and smelling it working again. The 6989 Team raised all its own funds and received no grant aid. Funds were raised by 6989 support group subscriptions, a few donations and sales from a shop on site. The book is essentially a diary in approximate chronological order and includes lots of photographs of work done, specifically because many locomotive parts have odd names that defy description. Some of the early photographs were taken with analog cameras and are not up to digital photography standards but are included because they record an important milestone or event.