Heddon Hall

History:  D6660 "Heddon Hall" is a slightly younger sister to our other diesel locomotive Hunslet D6652. Both are 60hp diesel locos built in 1965 and delivered new to Dean Hill Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) - later known as Defence Munitions Dean Hill, West Dean, Wiltshire - where there was an extensive narrow gauge railway.

Dean Hill had been in use as a munitions storage facility since the 1940s and had facilities for the underground storage of an extraordinary amount of munitions, including a bunker to hold nuclear warheads; Surplus to Ministry of Defence requirements, the site was decommissioned in 2003 and put out to tender in November 2005.

Dean Hill closed in 2003 and by 2004 D6660 was briefly in the ownership of Roger Craven of Essex before being sold to the L&B in August 2005. Following a major overhaul including regauging, it entered service as Heddon Hall at the end of 2005.

The loco was used in the later part of work on the extension to Killington Lane, being well suited for work with the ballast hopper and heavy works trains.

During Autumn 2007 the loco was given a full engine overhaul and the exhaust was modified to vent through a bonnet-mounted pipe.

Specification:

The locomotive is fitted with a 60 horse power, 4-cylinder Gardner 4LW diesel engine, connected to a torque convertor driving a single speed Hunslet gear-box, with hydraulic clutches for forward and reverse. The final drive is by sprocket and chain.