Current Railway; Dean Forest Railway
Origin[]
Wilbert was built by the Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds, England in 1953. He was purchased by the National Coal Board and worked as a shunter in a colliery in Staffordshire. He was bought by the Dean Forest Railway in 1976 and became the first steam engine owned by the Forest of Dean Railway Ltd. In August 1981, the Rev. W. Awdry christened the engine "G.B. Keeling" - after the first Chief Mechanical Engineer on the Severn and Wye Railway - following a members' ballot for the engine's name. On 8 November 1983, G.B. Keeling hauled the royal train on the line when the Duke of Gloucester visited the railway. On 13 September 1987, the Rev. W. Awdry renamed the engine "Wilbert" in his honor after a major overhaul and repainting. On 8 September 1991, Wilbert attended the opening of the line to Lydney Lakeside with City of Truro. In 2010, Wilbert underwent a major overhaul and returned to service in April 2012. Wilbert is currently undergoing boiler repair work as of 2024.
Notes[]
- Since Wilbert is a real steam locomotive, thus he cannot be copyrighted, although any works of fiction involving him cannot relate to the "Thomas and Friends" continuity.
- DJ Models had manufactured OO gauge models of Wilbert, in limited numbers of 200 to support the Dean Forest Railway.
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