The Statfold Barn Railway operated its first post-pandemic enthusiast event, the Trangkil 50 Gala on 12-13 Jun 2021.
 
The Staffordshire collection revealed a host of news demonstrating the vibrancy of Britain's leading narrow gauge collection.
 
1n addition to the arrival of former National Railway Museum 3 foot gauge Hudswell Clark 0-4-0ST "Handyman", visitors buying Statfold's brand new guide book launched at the Gala, learnt that another rescued locomotive is shortly to arrive at the centre.
 
Hunslet 0-4-2T "Seaforth" built in 1910 is in the process of being repatriated from Australia, where it spent its working life at sugar mills in Queensland.
 
Initially at Kalamia mill, and named after the neighbouring Seaforth estate, the loco moved in 1935 to Pleystowe mill.
 
Seaforth was out of use by 1960 and was subsequently plinthed for display, where its condition deteriorated until acquisition by Statfold in 2020.
 
The collection had planned to unveil the loco at the Gala, celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Statfold's Hunslet 0-4-2ST "Trangkil" 4, the last industrial steam loco built in Britain when it was dispatched from Hunslet's Jack Lane Works in 1971.
 
But Covid-induced delays prevented Seaforth arriving.
 
A set of frames in the Statfold Engineering workshop revealed a brandnew quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST being built for an as-yet-unnamed customer.
 
Statfold owns the rights to build steam locomotives under the Hunslet name.
 
This will be the third of the quarry class and the first since "Jack Lane" was completed in 2005.
 
It's understood it will run with a tender, similar to the practice on the Launceston Steam Railway in Cornwall.
 

The trackbed for the new Statfold extension - Date? Photographer?

Meanwhile visitors riding trains on Statfold's extensive running line noted a new trackbed curving away from the balloon loop at the far end of the site.
 
The museum is finally building a long-planned extension that will commplete the circle.
 
The new line will traverse the two remaining sides of the extensive grounds to meet up with the existing line close to the Burton Ashby tram shed.
 
One Statfold driver said that the new line will include a testing climb for locomotives.
 
In the Trust workshop, restoration is continuing on Hunslet "Tamar" 0-4-0PT CDC number 1 built in 1952, and 18 inch gauge former Woolwich Arsenal 0-4-4DM "Carnegie" built in 1954.
 
Statfold steamed 14 locos for the Gala, including Ffestiniog Railway England 1862 built 0-4-0ST "Prince", the visiting loco forming a bookend with "Trangkil" 4 as the first and last UK built industrial narrow gauge steam locomotives.
 
One Hunslet not featuring at the Trangkil 50 Gala was the Lytham Motive Power Museum's former Dinorwic quarry 0-4-0ST "Jonathan", which arrived at Statfold on loan in May.
 
The loco was dismantled for analysis following its arrival after which it was agreed that it would be cosmetically reassembled for display at Statfold's "150 Years of the Quarry Hunslet" gala on 10-11 Jul 2021, and then overhauled for its owners.
 
Author unknown.