Ruston & Hornsby No. 421418
TONKA
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Our newest diesel loco looks like it needs a bit of love. However, appearance can be deceiving, as under the hood there are signs of life !
INFORMATION
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Tonka being unloaded at Spring Village |
HISTORY
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Industrial Service
Built in 1958 by Ruston & Hornsby and numbered 421418. It was purchased for service at the Tioxide factory in Grimsby. Tioxide was a chemical factory, with the loco shunting supplies around the site.
Working at Tioxide for all of its life, the loco was donated to the nearby Lincolnshire Wolds Railway along with the other remaining locos. It stayed there for a number of years until being purchased by a volunteer at Telford Steam Railway. 421418 arrived on 20th May 2025. |
Tioxide Grimsby Plant |
Tonka in Spring Village Yard |
Donor LocoThe loco is currently going to be used as a donor loco, however it is planned for a full restoration in the future. Believed to be in good mechanical condition, the idea is for Tonka's parts to be used to keep its sister 88DS Hector running when it suffers a failure. The broken part will then be fixed and fitted back onto Tonka.
Tonka is a really useful asset in order to keep Hector in service which is essential for keeping the railway running. Hopefully Tonka will return to service in the future, with its cosmetic condition being the biggest problem to overcome |
CURRENT STATUSTonka is currently hidden away in a siding at Spring Village.
The loco hasn't received much attention since arrival but has been sheeted to protect it from the elements. When time allows, a full mechanical inspection of the loco will take place and an attempt may be made to start it. The loco does make the occasional public appearence, such as at our Diesel Gala, on static display. |
Tonka in Spring Village Yard |
