4F No. 44422 Centenary Appeal

4F no. 44422 has been preserved to represent a North Staffordshire icon: the ‘Stoke Scot’.

In the 175th Anniversary of the Churnet Valley Line, the Churnet Valley Railway (1992) PLC and  North Staffordshire Railway (1978) Ltd companies are looking to return a ‘Stoke Scot’ to the rails in time for its own Centenary as a joint project.

4F no. 44422 was saved for preservation to ensure a local icon was saved for prosperity, but it currently sits awaiting repairs before it can steam once.

As the loco approaches 100 Years since its construction, an appeal is being launched to ensure it becomes a Centenarian in steam.

44422 itself spent most of its working life hauling trains along the Somerset & Dorset Railway (S&D) between Bath & Bournemouth, including taking holiday makers to/from the North & Midlands aboard the well known summer-only Pines Express - originating in Manchester. It also hauled local passenger and freight services, proving versatile across this notoriously steeply graded line. Built at Derby in September 1927 and originally assigned to Leicester shed, the loco transferred to Bristol in 1940 from where she never ventured far from the South-West except for repairs up unto its withdrawal in 1965.

Meanwhile, the railways of North Staffordshire were predominantly run by tank engines, but the 4F proved to be more than capable on the longer distance services and gained the title of ‘Stoke Scot’ from being the regular performer on such services despite being built as a goods loco. When rail preservation efforts began in the Stoke area, saving a Stoke Scot was seen as a huge priority and a visit to Barry Scrapyard saw 44422 saved to ensure a local legend continued.

Bought by members of the North Staffordshire Railway Society, a new company was formed to focus on the restoration of 44422 in 1977. A “new” tender was purchased from Bescot Depot and transferred by rail to Cheddleton where it was craned over onto the railway centre’s line which was separate from the then freight only line to Oakamoor.

Restoration was completed in September 1990, but the loco was too big for the railway centre’s demonstration runs and so it went on hire to help promote the then embryonic Churnet Valley Railway.

An overhaul was completed in 2004 enabling a second return to steam, and the loco took its place as the flagship of the CVR. In 2009 it then went on another tour of heritage railways before being withdrawn for boiler repairs in 2013.

Restored in association with the West Somerset Railway to mark the 50th Anniversary of the S&D closing, 44422 returned to steam once more in 2016. She was withdrawn for running repairs in 2018, but found to require more than was first envisaged and so was withdrawn permanently.

Returning to the Churnet Valley Railway in 2019, in 2024 ownership was formally transferred to the North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) Ltd who are now launching the “4F Centenary Appeal” to see 44422 return to steam in time to celebrate 100 Years since it was built.

The first phase of returning a Stoke Scot to the rails is to get her wheels in motion, which will require lifting the loco off its wheels to complete a mechanical overhaul and fix the faults identified previously.

With your help this can all be achieved, and the sight and sound of a Stoke Scot working its way through North Staffordshire will be recreated once more in 2027 as 44422 becomes a Centenarian.

The locomotive has recently undergone a cosmetic restoration and is now on display at Cheddleton station for all to see.