GWR Dukedog No. 3207

GWR Dukedog No. 3207 (Later 9007) spent her days over the Riviera Line as their unofficial mixed traffic engine until 1948, where she was purchased by a steelworks up north. They stuffed her onto ladle wagons up to the tip, and bringing down empties to be loaded before shunting coal wagons, flatbeds and even the odd general goods train that came in.

She worked until 1958, when a company specializing in locomotives for hire purchased her and she spent her days working for a colliery in the Midlands, working under the NCB guise until 1964, where she was returned after the work was done. From there, she languished in the sheds as no one would hire out an elderly design of engine and it wasn't long before she was placed for sale.

As that was happening, Spennymoor Steelworks had been growing in popularity and usefulness and the manager of the steelworks as well as Mr. Phoenix decided they needed an engine that was competent for shunting, as well as passenger and small freight traffic. The original choice for the working was a C Class, but the C they were looking into getting was scrapped a month previously and cut up.

During a hunt through the ads, the two stumbled upon the Dukedog up for sale and after a phone call, the engine was purchased for a relatively small price and given an overhaul before being set into work on the line, moving small lots of freight and passenger traffic. She was later joined by an Austerity and 6400 pannier tank.

Wearing the GWR green, she can be seen on the midday DiDo trains as well as the morning empty coal to Bishop Auckland and the return empty flatbeds as well as the odd banking turn on the steep grade up to Coundon. Being a smaller engine and a Dukedog, like her sister on the Bluebell, she slips into the background and draws the crowds of people who like their nobodies.

The only other noteworthy thing was in 1968, on the date of 1T57, she was taking a small railtour along the branch before the rest of the track to Cornforth and onwards were ripped up and weeds overtook the old trackbed.