Another form of road steam?

[The Idle Fellow]

A Cockerill steam tram loco made its first public appearance on the Mid Suffolk Light Railway at their Easter Steam Up today. It is on loan from local boiler maker Mervyn Mayes, who has recently rebuilt the interesting little, vertical boilered, curiosity.

[International Steam]

It's indeed an interesting loco, but it's not a tram engine. These were designed for shunting purposes whatever the MSLR website says..

A true, traditional tram loco would have 'skirts' for operating unfenced railways whether in an urban or rural environment.

The only ones in the UK are at Crich (2), Hull and Belfast. Unfortunately, the chances of seeing one working in the near future are almost zero.

However, there are several runners scattered through continental Europe.

[ballastdriver]

Strange to see a shunting engine fitted with what appears to be vacuum brake pipes? I would have thought the majority of wagons would have been unfitted when this engine was built and through most if not all of its working life? Has this been added in preservation?

[Timothy Hackworth Jr]

Yes, it will have had a vacuum ejector fitted during restoration to allow it to work passenger trains, even if the loco itself isn't fitted with vac brakes. The last Cockerill I drove back in 2001 was similarly fitted. Steam brake on the loco, vacuum piped for train brake.