Rudyard lady
privately owned
Rudyard Lady is a Bo-Bo type diesel engine locomotive. It has a Lister HP3 3 cylinder 16.5 horsepower diesel engine linked by a four speed dumper truck gearbox to the wheels. The clutch uses standard car parts and drive to the rear bogie wheels is by chain off a car differential built into the bogie. She is named after the Lady Of The Lake which is a boathouse built into Rudyard Lake with an impressive statue overlooking the lake.
The engine is probably the largest diesel locomotive on this gauge of track with seats for two and space for 4 in the cab.
Built by a local engineer Mr. L.A. Smith from Leek in 1989. It has a generator providing 3KW power at both 110 & 220 volts. Its on board air compressor can power air tools as well. It’s therefore ideal for track work. When it was first delivered to the railway, it was the main passenger locomotive until “River Churnet” (now Excalibur) arrived. It was overhauled and repainted in 2007 and emerged in the yellow livery in 2008.
Originally fitted with a single pipe skid type air brake it now has the standard two pipe system with a brake cylinder applying the brakes to the front bogie.
Rudyard Lady is a frequent sight at diesel galas and other special events. She was repainted in 2018/19 into a creative livery with lining and has undergone various maintenance since then.
In 2025, the locomotive was stripped back to bare metal and had a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration bringing her back into her original livery without the previous lining ready for the railways 40th anniversary
gala. The engine was professionally rebuilt by a local company in Congleton. The gearbox was professionally rebuilt by a local father son duo. This combined with the paint job done by Aleks Jeffrey and the mechanical work by her owner, Adam Jeffrey and the band of dedicated volunteers brought the locomotive into a condition comparable with the day she was delivered in 1989. This combined with an extensive re-wire and upgraded air system has given Rudyard Lady a new lease of life that should see her running perfectly into the future.
