Southern Gas Board No. 2 William Murdoch

No. 2 William Murdoch
The cab and saddle tank of William Murdoch in August, 2017.
Name	William Murdoch
Number(s)	2
Railway(s)	Helston Railway
Status	Overhaul
Location	Prospidnick, Cornwall, England, UK
Technical specifications
Type	Saddle tank engine
Serial number(s)	2100
Manufacturer(s)	Peckett & Sons
Build date	1949
Model	Peckett R4 class
Wheel arrangement	0-4-0ST
Axles	2
Rail gauge	4 ft. 8 1/2 in.
Cylinders	2x outside
Fuel type	Coal
Service information
Entered service	1949
Operator(s)	Southern Gas Board
Running numbers	2
Name	William Murdoch
Disposition details
Withdrawn	1972
Disposition	Preserved, under-overhaul

No. 2 William Murdoch is a 0-4-0ST saddle tank steam locomotive which worked for the Southern Gas Board in Portsmouth, England. It is currently undergoing an overhaul at the Helston Railway in Cornwall.

History

William Murdoch was built by Peckett and Sons of Bristol as builder's number 2100 in 1949 to their R4 class design for the Southern Gas Board (SGB). The SGB numbered it 2, and first used it at Blackwater Gas Works, before it was reallocated to Hilsea Gas Works in Portsmouth. It continued working for the SGB at Hilsea Gas Works until 1972, when it was withdrawn and donated to the Portsmouth City Museum. The Portsmouth City Museum loaned William Murdoch to the GWR Preservation Group, based at Southall, moving there in November, 1983. By 2006 it was at the East Anglia Railway Museum, before moving to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre where it actively steamed. In September, 2016 it moved once again to the Helston Railway in Cornwall, who began overhauling it, William Murdoch currently remains under overhaul.

References

Preserved steam locomotives in Cornwall
Museums	Wheal Martyn Museum	Lee Moor Tramway No. 1
	Poldark Mining Heritage Complex	FD&E No. 6
	Private	VR No. 1103
Heritage Railways	Bodmin Railway	GWR No. 4612 • GWR No. 5552 • GWR No. 6435 • LSWR BR No. 30587 • RN No. 19 • PoP Alfred • PoP Judy • WD No. 75178
	Helston Railway	No. 2 William Murdoch
	Launceston Steam Railway	Lilian • No. 89 Perseverance • Covertcoat • Dorothea
	Lappa Valley Railway	No. 1 Zebedee • No. 2 Muffin • No. 3 Ruby • No. 4 Ellie