On 12th October the Middy was graced with a visit from Lady McAlpine, the wife of the late Sir William McAlpine, the well known railway enthusiast, to name the Ruston & Hornsby 48 which Middy Volunteer Lawrie Rose had bought from Sir William a few weeks before his sad passing.
Lawrie had agreed with Sir William that the 48 could be named in his honour once the loco had been restored and repainted at the Middy. Lady McAlpine also approved the idea and she was was pleased to visit the railway and see the name plates attached. She then had a tour of the Middy site and, of course, a footplate ride on Ruston & Hornsby ‘Sir William McAlpine’.
There is a particular relevance to this loco being based at Brockford as the only previously recorded visit of a diesel to the Middy was during the lifting of the original line in 1953, when the contractor’s engine was a R & H 48!
Lady McAlpine was much impressed with the care lavished on her late husband’s locomotive and the MSLR in general, so much so that she made a very generous donation to our Extension Project fund at the end of her visit. Received with grateful thanks.
