THE BODMIN Railway is considering selling ‘64XX’ pannier tank No. 6435, as well as its Class 121 railcar and some carriages, to help cover a “cash crisis” this winter.
The railway announced in early January that it was considering selling the auto ‐fitted pannier tank owing to “financial pressures”. Last steamed in 2022 following the expiry of its latest boiler ‘ticket’, No. 6435 is in good mechanical condition, having received new driving wheel tyres in 2021 and a lot of attention – particularly to its crown stays – during 2020. Railway chairman David Nelson-Brown said: “We are looking for a speedy sale if possible.”
In addition to the 1937-built locomotive, the railway is also considering selling its Hawksworth auto-trailer Third No. 232 – which is frequently used with No. 6435 on autotrains – as well as its ex-Chiltern Railways Class 121 bubble car No. 121020, 1910-built GWR Third Class ‘Toplight’ No. 2434 (currently on loan to the South Devon Railway), a BR Mk 1 Brake Second Corridor, and a Southern Railway PMV van. Nelson-Brown said: “We won’t sell all of these vehicles but will consider sensible offers on any.”
Explaining the railway’s decision to Steam Railway, Nelson-Brown said: “The railway has an immediate cash crisis this winter. This has stemmed from
