The DLRHT is dedicated to the preservation and maintenance of 2 foot gauge railway vehicles. A guiding principle that has shaped the collection is that the item must have been rejected by other collections or otherwise be in danger of further deterioration.
On our website you can find out about the history of every item in our collection, along with its current status and future plans. The latest progress is towards the bottom of each page in the ‘restoration’ section, with newest updates towards the top.
You can also subscribe to our Youtube channel for more.
Updates:
Safety valve Appeal:
We are searching for suitable Ross Pop safety valves for 740. The ones it was previously fitted with have gone missing, so if you know where they are or where a suitable pair can be purchased please let us know via the contact us page.
09th October 2026
The page for the COFERNA has been updated today.
06th October 2026
The pages for the COFERNA and 740 have been updated today.
30th September 2026
The COFERNA’s page has been updated today.
29th September 2026
The COFERNA’s and Nellie’s pages have been updated today.
23rd September 2026
The COFERNA’s page has been updated today.
18th September 2026
Significant progress is being made on the COFERNA’s cab. You can see the full update on the restoration page.
16th September 2026
The COFERNA now has separate history and restoration pages. The restoration page and 740’s restoration page have been updated today.
9th September 2026
740 and Nellie now have separate history pages. Both have been updated with new photos today.
8th September 2026
The website is having an update. The history and restoration of each item in the collection will be separated on to two pages when there is enough content to justify it.
3rd September 2026
Matheran 740’s page has been updated. Newton Castings are also working on a new headboard for the trust. Fitting all the words on is a challenge!
We have also heard there might be a very exciting possibility that one of 740’s sisters may be visiting the UK for overhaul. The entire class survives, with the other three locomotives currently on static display in India. Whilst it is by no means certain yet it would be wonderful to see two of the locomotives in steam together again.
2nd September 2026
The Coferna’s page has been updated today.
21st August 2026
The Coferna’s page has been updated today.
17th August 2026
740’s page has been updated today. Our apologies for the relatively slow pace of updates through the summer. Things should speed up again as we move into Autumn.
28th July 2026
120’s, 740’s and NG29′s pages have been updated today.
4th June 2026
We have been very fortunate to be sent some beautiful photos of 120 in service at Van Stadens in 1973. They are on 120’s page.
03rd June 2026
The pages for Ralph, 740 and 120 have been updated today.
13th May 2026
The pages for Ralph and 120 have been updated today.
We’ve also uploaded a short to our Youtube channel showing the removal of Ralph’s collision and corrosion damaged front pilot.
30th April 2026
We’ve been sent a wonderful gallery of photos from Matheran, taken this year by Steve Sedgwick who’s kindly allowed them to be shared here. 740’s sisters 738 and 741 feature on plinths. The rest are in a gallery on 740’s page.
21st April 2026
120‘s and the Gin Palace pages have been updated today.
16th April 2026
NGDZ 1922‘s page has had its first update today courtesy of the Bala Lake Railway, along with 740’s and 120‘s. It’s very pleasing to see the chopper couplings finally installed on the DZ so it can be used.
7th April 2026
Ralph’s, 740’s and 120‘s pages have been updated.
19th and 13th March 2026
Ralph’s, 740’s and 120‘s pages have been updated.
11th March 2026
Ralph’s, 740’s and Nellie’s pages have been updated today.
25th February 2026
Matheran 740‘s page has been updated today.
19th February 2026
A small update has been made to 120’s page today.
17th February 2026
The pages for Ralph and 120 have been updated today.
12th February 2026
There’s a very picture heavy update of the last month’s progress on Ralph and there has been an update to 120’s page today.
4th February 2026
The video of our end of January working party on Ralph is up on Youtube.
27th January 2026
The pages for Ralph, 740, 120 and NG29 have been updated today.
15th January 2026
The pages for Ralph, 120 and NG29 have been updated today.
14th January 2026
We’ve been send another photo of Peter Smith’s wonderful model of COFERNA No.3821 looking very French in its final livery. Ralph’s page has been updated.
6th January 2026
The pages for Ralph, NG29 and 120 have been updated today. We’ve also been sent this wonderful photo of a model made of our COFERNA.
29th December update part 2
Ralph and 120’s pages have been updated this afternoon.
29th December 2025
We have a large photo update today. Nellie’s page has been updated already with others to follow.
We’ve received some wonderful period photos of the Porta modifications to the San Martin del Tabacal Luttermöllers showing experimentation underway in the mill workshops, including some interesting features that did not make it to the final design. The rest are in a gallery on Nellie’s page.
24th December 2025
We’d like to wish all our readers, viewers and supporters a very Happy Christmas if you celebrate, and very happy holidays if you don’t. We have a large update coming just after Christmas with lots of photos of work on 120, Nellie and Ralph.
Both parts of Maddie’s talk for the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway are now up on Youtube. If you enjoy them please like and subscribe, there are more exciting video projects in the pipeline.
11th December 2025
Editing is progressing on the talk from last week prior to upload to our Youtube channel. Upload will be on Sunday afternoon, the 14th of December.
The page for NG15 120 has been updated today.
3rd December 2025
The talk about the trust was very well attended, and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves. The raw footage (over two hours long!) is away for editing. That will take a little while but as soon as it is uploaded to Youtube a link will be posted here.
The page for NG15 120 has been updated today.
1st December 2025
The page for NG15 120 has been updated today.
28th November 2025
Madison will be giving a talk at 19.30 GMT on the 1st of December about the trust’s founding, aims, collection and progress on Zoom for the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway supporters group and the Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88443133565?pwd=a6lr7ssvOYTpE6i0cfef6pGLomD743.1
Meeting ID: 884 4313 3565
Passcode: 931028
The number of participants is limited, if you miss the talk it will be uploaded to our Youtube channel afterwards and a link will be published here.
25th and 26th of November 2025
The pages for NG15 120 and 91.016 Ralph have been updated today.
19th November 2025
The page for NG15 120 has been updated today.
We have also been very fortunate to receive more help from pre-eminent South African railway historian Leith Paxton. The help we are fortunate to get from others who share our interest in historic machinery is key to what we can do to preserve them as their custodians. Along with some important drawings we have received these two fantastic and very rare photos that show 120 in service with South African Railways. Interestingly it is paired with a different tender to that it left the manufacturer with, and to that it arrived in the UK with.
Interestingly the small area of damage to the right hand side front curved footplate section is still present today!
18th November 2025
The pages for Matherhan 740 has been updated today.
13th November 2025
The pages for NG15 120, Matheran 740 and Ralph have been updated today.
5th November 2025
The page for NG15 120 has been updated today.
3rd and 4th November 2024
The pages for NG15 120, Matheran 740, Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 and Ralph have been updated.
15th October 2025:
The pages for NG15 120 and Matheran 740 have been updated today.
8th October 2025:
The pages for NG15 120, Natal Government Railways carriage NG29, Ralph, and Constructions ferroviaires et navales de l’Ouest (COFERNA) Locotracteur 3821/1950 have been updated today.
6th October 2025:
As part of our contract work with the Ffestiniog Railway Boston Lodge was visited over the Bygones Weekend which meant there was a chance to see some of the gala.
22nd September 2025:
The pages for NG15 120, Natal Government Railways carriage NG29, Ralph, and Matheran 740 have been updated today.
9th September 2025:
The pages for Constructions ferroviaires et navales de l’Ouest (COFERNA) Locotracteur 3821/1950, NG15 120, and Matheran 740 have been updated today.
28th August 2025:
The pages for San Martin del Tabacal Luttermöller No.7 ‘Nellie’, NG15 120, and Matheran 740 have had updates today.
27th August 2025:
A few delayed updates and new ones today on Natal Government Railways carriage NG29, Ralph, NG15 120, and Matheran 740.
7th August 2025:
The page for Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 has been updated.
3rd August 2025:
The page for Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 has been updated.
31st July 2025:
A large consignment of 91 Class cab panels, Matheran 740 and NG15 parts and various bits of carriage NG29 have been sent to the shot blasters today. The page for Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 has also been updated.
29th July 2025: The page for Constructions ferroviaires et navales de l’Ouest (COFERNA) Locotracteur 3821/1950 has been updated today.
25th July 2025: The page for the Gin Palace has been updated with some beautiful photos taken by the carriage works team at Boston Lodge.
24th July 2025: The pages for 120 and Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 have been updated.
22nd July 2025: The pages for Ralph, 120 and Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 have been updated.
15th July 2025: The pages for Ralph and the Gin Palace have been updated.
03rd July 2025: The page for the Gin Palace has been updated showing lining progress.
25th June 2025: The page for Matheran Light Railway 740 has been updated.
23rd June 2025: The pages for 120, Matheran Light Railway 740 and the Gin Palace have been updated today.
17th June 2025: The page for 120 has been updated today.
20th May 2025: The pages for 120, Matheran Light Railway 740 and the Gin Palace have been updated today.
11th April 2025: The pages for 120 and the Gin Palace have been updated today.
01st April 2025: The pages for Ralph and Matheran Light Railway 740 have been updated today.
24th March 2025: The page for the Gin Palace has been updated with the latest photos from Boston Lodge works.
18th March 2025: The page for Ralph has been updated with illustrations of the gauging studies and new pilot parts.
12th March 2025: The pages for Ralph and 120 have been updated today.
11th March 2025: The page for 120 has been updated today.
8th March 2025: The pages for Ralph and 120 have been updated today. We are also trialling a comments form to allow visitors to interact with posts they are interested in. We’ll be rolling it out across new posts over the next few days to gauge whether it is a good thing or not.
6th March 2025: The page for the Gin Palace has been updated today after its first journey out onto The Cob.
4th March 2025: The pages for the Gin Palace and Ralph have been updated today.
03rd March 2025: The pages for 91 Class ‘Ralph‘ and San Martin del Tabacal Luttermöller No.7 ‘Nellie’ have been updated today.
28th February 2025: The page for 91 Class ‘Ralph‘ has been updated today with the start of cab metalwork.
The pages for 91 Class ‘Ralph,’ Natal Government Railways carriage NG29 and SAR NG15 120 have been updated today (27th February 2025).
The pages for Ffestiniog Railway Observation Carriage No. 100 and SAR NG15 120’s have been updated today (25th February 2025).
The pages for 91 Class ‘Ralph,’ Matheran 740 and SAR NG15 120 have been updated today (24st February 2025).