Hobbyist Restores Steam Locomotive to Pristine Condition–Puffs Down the Tracks for the First Time in 44 Years

nnIt’s easy to be romantic about trains, but that typically doesn’t grow into a hobby, at least for everyone other than Iain Smith from Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands.nnSmith and a small group of volunteers have spent the last quarter-century restoring this Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 engine—serial no. 46464—to working order, and after years of elbow grease and weekend tinkering, they finally got to watch it huff and puff down the tracks.nnNo. 46464, known affectionately as “Carmyllie Pilot” was built 75 years ago and spent the majority of its working life carrying passengers between Angus and Fife, a journey of about 90 minutes.nn”It was very emotional to see it up and running again,” Smith admitted.nnCarmyllie Pilot carried freight and passengers around Scotland for 14 years until it was withdrawn from service in 1966.nn

nnA former London North Eastern Railway railway engineer Ian Fraser bought the locomotive after getting to know one of the former drivers. As a retirement gig, the locomotive was added to a railway museum in Dundee, and then sent to Aviemore’s Strathspey Railway where it operated on a heritage line.nnEventually, a problem put it out of action and it returned to Fraser’s ownership in 1989.nnFOR THE ONE WHO LOVES TRAINS: Wes Anderson Designed a Luxury Train Car – and It Looks Like Something Out of His Moviesnn14 years later, Mr. Fraser died, but in 2000 the volunteer-led Carmyllie Pilot Company Ltd was formed with the intention of fully restoring the locomotive. Much of the work was done at Strathspey, where it sat alongside other heritage locomotives.nnReceiving a coat of paint according to its original livery, it now lives again, relying on dozens of parts that were custom-made because replacements were impossible to find.nnMORE RESTORATIONS: Maui Jewelry Store Restores Jewelry Damaged by Wildfires for Freenn”It was like a giant Meccano kit at our site at one time,” Smith told the BBC, comparing it to a popular toy brand.nnSHARE This Incredible Garage Project With Your Friends Who Love Trains…