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SLR No. 10 'Nellie'

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Nellie is a black 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotive.



History[]

Nellie was built in 1915 by Manning Wardle in Leeds, Yorkshire, England in the United Kingdom as builder's number 1864. Nellie was originally imported into Sierra Leone during world war one for the construction of the Fourah Bay Harbour construction after which it was used as a shunter around Freetown by the SLR including becoming the workshops shunter.[1][2][3][4]

It continued in service until 1975 when the railway closed having operated for 60 years at that point. The general manager Richard Norman stored Nellie along with other surviving rolling stock deep at the back of the workshops welding the doors shut to prevent it and the others from being scrapped. Nellie lingered in the works until the civil war broke out in 1991 some people sort refuge in the workshops where they lived until the works were completely abandoned in 2002 upon the end of the brutal conflict.[1][2][3][4]

Many people believed that the now legendary collection had been destroyed during the civil war. However a British army officer Colonel Steve Davies who is also a railway enthusiast and so carrying an old SLR guide book tracked down the works and peeked through one of the windows. Where he saw a dusty and dirty Nellie intact. So in 2005 the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum was established preserving and displaying all surviving locomotives with help from the "Friends of the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum". Nellie is currently on display fully restored to static display from the volunteers.[1][2][3][4]



Trivia[]

  • It is the oldest locomotive in Sierra Leone.
  • It has operated the longest out of all preserved locomotives from Sierra Leone.



Bibliography[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.sierraleonerailwaymuseum.org/the-collection
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-32863498
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.facebook.com/sierraleonerailwaymuseum/posts/4110270319011799
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=21976


Preserved Sierra Leonean Locomotives
Sierra Leone Government Railway (SLR) 0-4-0ST No. 10 'Nellie'
Class 81 No. 81 • No. 85 (W&LLR No. 14)
Class 63 No. 73
Class 101 No. 105 • No. 107
Class 120 No. 123 • No. 133
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