Hurrah! "Portbury" is home again

After major overhaul she arrived home today on a low loader but there is still a lot of work and painting to do so she won't be in her full livery (marked with I.W. & D 34 - Inland Waterways and Docks) and back in harness on the Bristol waterfront until 2014.

Her past history:

Portbury was built in the Fishponds area of Bristol in 1917. Painted battleship grey, she was taken to work on the construction of the new Portbury shipyard. From there she was moved to the Port of Bristol's Avonmouth Docks where she was often made to pull as many as 30 oil tank-wagons instead of the maximum of 18 which she was specified to tow.

Portbury had a reputation for great strength and in her hey-day it was said that, she could 'pull a town down'. She also had a tendency to move off when unattended - a common problem with steam locomotives with worn parts. Thus she was usually parked between other engines in the Avonmouth shed.

When the Port's steam locomotives were replaced with diesel engines in the 1950s, Portbury was given to Bristol Museum and was stored with Henbury in a tea warehouse in Avonmouth.

Eventually, Portbury was taken to Bristol's Industrial Museum where she was completely rebuilt and refurbished. She frequently works with Henbury to pull visitors along the quayside railway.