The Last Locomotive

Inside the rearmost shed, an exhibition of sorts is on, with it's star exhibit being this locomotive, the last of LSWR's small 0.4.4T O2 Class locomotives, number 24 "Calbourne". The locomotive is mid-overhaul, with the boiler back on the frames after being sent to Crewe for attention, she currently lacks a livery but formerly held a Southern green livery pre-overhaul, and is expected to return to this status after work is complete.

Calbourne was built with the remaining 59 locomotives in the class at the Nine Elms locomotive works in 1891, and worked originally in Fratton and Exeter, before the grouping in 1923 into the Southern Railway saw her transferred to the I.O.W to replace older locomotives formerly employed by the Island Line Network. All the locos sent to the island were fitted with air brakes, and in 1932 had their coal bunkers extended to 3 1/4 tons, to enable the fleet to travel for 200 miles a day without refuelling. She continued to work until 1967, when electrification made her and the last remaining out of the 22 O2s originally sent to the isle redundant, and she was promptly purchased for preservation by the railway. She was restored over a period of 25 years, and was initally returned to traffic on a ten year boiler ticket in 1992, being withdrawn upon ticket expiration in 2002.