THE first ever steam train to operate at a heritage railway half a century ago is set to take to the tracks again thanks to a £15,000 funding boost.

Former power station train Uskmouth 1 launched Dean Forest Railway’s first public steaming in October 1971, and is now set to be renovated thanks to grants and fundraising draws.

Built in 1952 to operate at Uskmouth A power station near Newport, the train gave brake van rides at the Norchard-based railway and will hopefully be back in action soon for the 50th anniversary of its first steaming there.

Alastair Clarke, chairman of Dean Forest Railway Society, said, “We have been building up funds over the years to renovate Uskmouth 1 through annual draws and now these funds have been substantially boosted thanks to two extremely welcome grants.

These are £10,000 from West Dean Parish Council’s ‘Yorkley Solar Farm Section 106 Grant Scheme’, and £5,000 from Gloucestershire County Council’s ‘Growing our Communities Fund’.

“This additional funding comes thanks to the Society’s charitable status and will not only enable Uskmouth 1 to steam again but, in doing so, we can provide our local community – of all ages - with volunteering opportunities in heritage conservation and hands-on engineering work.

“The locomotive’s boiler requires professional, skilled repairs, so the Railway can now at last afford this to be done by contractors in the fairly near future.

“We can’t wait to see Uskmouth 1 back in action.”

DFRS treasurer Tim McLennan added: “The Covid pandemic has delayed many projects at the railway thanks to the huge impact on revenue, but even before these grants were announced work has been progressing in the background with the ‘Thursday Gang’ under Ed Freeman’s guidance.

“Outside lockdown, our brake van rides became very popular as they gave very useful inbuilt social distancing for our visitors.

“Thanks to this funding boost, the DFR now plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of those first public brake van rides at Parkend with a return to service, in its original role with us, of its much-loved pioneering locomotive Uskmouth 1.”

Uskmouth 1 holds a special, pioneering place in the history of the DFR, but has been out of service for many years. Other locomotives have taken precedence thanks, perhaps, to their main line heritage with the GWR and being capable of hauling five-carriage trains: now a typical scene at the DFR.

However, Uskmouth 1’s special place in the railway’s history means that plans are now underway to restore her to working order.

Its duties at Uskmouth in the 50s and 60s had been to haul coal wagons brought to the power station by main-line haulage from the South Wales collieries.

It was an endless task to feed the power station boilers and after almost 20 years her time was up when diesel shunters took over, just ready to be purchased by members of the DFR’s original Preservation Society.

Uskmouth A was closed in October 1981 and demolished in 2002, the site now comprising Severn Power Station which is gas-powered, whilst Uskmouth B, built in 1959 to be coal-fired, is now fuelled by biomass and waste.