Dorking Greystone "Townsend Hook"

Townsend Hook
Townsend Hook when it was cosmetically restored.
Technical specifications
Serial number(s)	172L
Manufacturer(s)	Fletcher, Jennings & Co.'s Lowca Works
Build date	1880
Wheel arrangement	0-4-0T
Rail gauge	3 ft 2+1⁄4 in (972 mm)
Cylinders	Two, Outside
Fuel type	Coal
Service information
Official name	Townsend Hook
Disposition details
Withdrawn	1952
Disposition	Currently at Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre

Townsend Hook is a 3 ft 2+1⁄4 in (972 mm) gauge 0-4-0T steam locomotive built by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. for the Dorking Greystone Lime Co. as works no. 172L in 1880. Townsend Hook was withdrawn in 1952 and cosmetically restored and based at Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre from 2010.

Service

In the late 1870s, the Dorking Greystone Lime Co. of Betchworth, Surrey, had decided they needed another steam locomotive to work the horse-drawn narrow-gauge lines in their quarry, following from the success of their 1877 standard gauge Fletcher Jennings 0-4-0T No. 3, Fletcher, Jennings & Co. had drew up a new steam locomotive for them, Two new engines, works nos. 172L and 173L (later becoming Townsend Hook and William Finlay respectively) were built in early 1880 at Fletcher, Jennings & Co.'s Lowca Works and were delivered to Betchworth by rail.

Townsend Hook was withdrawn from active service in 1952 with a broken axle bearing and was placed into storage.

Preservation

In 1960, Townsend Hook was acquired by the London Area Group of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society and was moved over to Sheffield Park station goods yard on the then-newly preserved Bluebell Railway. Townsend Hook was the first loco to be based in the Bluebell Railway within the preservation era, arriving around a month before the famous LB&SCR A1X 'Terrier' Class No. 55 "Stepney".

On July 2016, Townsend Hook had made a visit to the Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn, Wales, as a static exhibit as part of a gala to bring together all five surviving locos in the UK built by Fletcher, Jennings and Co.

As of today, Townsend Hook currently remains as a static exhibit at the Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre, the chances of it running again might be unlikely, but it's unknown.

Gallery

Townsend Hook when it visited the Talyllyn Railway in Wales.

List of Preserved Fletcher Jennings & Co. Locomotives
2 Foot 3 Inches:	Talyllyn • Dolgoch
2 Foot 9 Inches:	Sten Sture
4 Foot 8+1⁄2 Inches (Standard Gauge):	Captain Baxter
3 Foot 2+1⁄4 Inches:	Townsend Hook • William Finlay
3 Feet:	Hariette • Regina