BRITAIN'S STEAM RAILWAY HERITAGE

EDM number 1692 in 2007-08, proposed by Greg Knight on 04/06/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Cultural heritage and Railways.

That this House notes that it is 40 years since the last British Rail passenger steam train The Oliver Cromwell made its final journey from Liverpool to Carlisle; notes that the locomotive has now been restored in a four year project at the Great Central Railway workshops at Loughborough and congratulates those involved in the painstaking restoration; further notes that 3rd July marks the 70th anniversary of the world record-breaking run of the A4 steam locomotive Mallard which, near Little Bytham, achieved a world speed record of 126 mph for a steam locomotive which has never been surpassed; is pleased that this locomotive has been preserved for posterity and is currently at the National Railway Museum in York, but expresses concern that the locomotive is currently not in steam due to requiring substantial boiler work; congratulates the many steam railway enthusiasts in the UK who maintain historical railway locomotives and equipment for the benefit of present and future generations; and calls on the Government to ensure that the necessary funding is made available through the National Lottery Fund or otherwise to enable Mallard to be fully restored and once again brought into steam.

This motion has been signed by a total of 55 MPs.