Black Prince

The last time that I saw Black Prince was over 40 years ago at the East Somerset Railway. The engine was based there until 1998 after being purchased from British Railways by the artist David Shepherd. It was he that gave the loco the name 'Black Prince'.

Black Prince is a Class 9F 2-10-0 loco built for heavy freight traffic in 1959 making it one of the last steam locos built. It worked for just 9 years before being withdrawn from service in 1967. After 1998 the loco moved around a little before entering service with the North Norfolk Railway in 2014 following an overhaul and they purchased it the following year. 

The 10 year boiler certificate issued on the last overhaul expired in 2024 and, at that time, it was agreed to move Black Prince to Bressingham for a two year loan period and the move was made in April of that year. The plan is to return Black Prince to NNR when workshop space is available and as the deadline has already passed I guess the loan period is flexible.