As we continue to restore our Urie S15 499, we must not forget the effort 506, now 30506, has been putting in over the years. It’s also important to understand that once back in service, an engine is an important source of revenue and exposure for the society. Both support the continuing restoration efforts that will culminate in the two engines being in service together, we hope!
Looking back to 506’s workload here is a short article from our archives in the autumn of 1988.
No. 506 in 1988
Society members may interested in a full record of No. 506’s mileage while at work in 1988. This gives the number of miles run during each month, and the number of days on which the locomotive worked. The record starts in March, as there was no running on the Mid-Hants in January and February 1988.
| Month | Mileage run | Days worked |
|---|---|---|
| March | 189 | 3 |
| April | 378 | 5 |
| May | 668 | 8 |
| June | 802 | 10 |
| July | 1418 | 17 |
| August | 1021 | 13 |
| September | 387 | 5 |
| October | 395 | 5 |
| November | 83 | 2 |
| December | 342 | 9 |
| 5683 | 77 |
This enables us to give an annual mileage record of :-
1987 – 3547 miles
1988 – 5683 miles
1989 – 1095 miles up to 23/4/89
In comparison
Coming back to present day, 506 ran for 103 days in 2023, approximately 6,798 miles, and 110 days in 2024, 7,260 miles.
With that in mind, we may well be putting all our efforts into bringing 499 back into service, but ensuring 506 continues to run smoothly, as demonstrated by the recent boiler lift, is equally high priority.
If you would like to support the efforts to restore and maintain the last two remaining original Urie S15s, please consider contributing to our current Boiler Appeal (See link on page) and become a member of the Urie Locomotive Society. #ThankYou