
Wednesday, 14th May 2008
Old locomotives at the Shipyards
I happened to be passing by the Slag Deposit of the Malta Shipyards and through the open gate I could see three rusting locomotives. On enquiring, I was told they were used during the war to carry workmen and equipment within the Naval Dockyard area.
I suggest that these locomotives, if refurbished and exhibited in a proper place, would be a great attraction to Maltese schoolchildren and tourists.




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Comments
Rory O'Neill Gosport,England.
Malta Shipyards has been in contact with Heritage Malta for a while and the process to restore these three boilers has already commenced. The first step was to remove safely all the asbestos insulation; this was kindly carried out by Cape East Malta, who are experts in this field, free of charge. The second phase of the plan is to transport these three boilers to the shipyard where some basic repairs to the steel structure, blasting and protective coating shall be carried out.
The third phase will be to transport them to sites selected by Heritage Malta where more restoration and painting to original colors shall be carried out.
Definitely , once restoration is complete, these three boilers should be quite an attraction and part of the industrial heritage of Malta.
As a railway buff I think it is a great find.
Being a part-time historian and a railway fanatic I completely agree that it would be fantastic to have these locomotives restored for the benefit of tourists and students.
The brief history of the Malta Railway is absolutely fascinating and, despite it's demise in 1931, the story of the line and the people who built and designed it, used it and work on it forms an interesting part of Maltese recent history.
There's quite an interesting website relating to all this at: www.maltarailway.com.
I'm not sure if there many railway enthusiasts in Malta. I know restoring railway engines is a labour of love by volunteers - perhaps there are Maltese businesses who would be interested in sponsoring the costs to restore the engines back to their former interesting glory (a little market diversification every so often is good!).
As a child my family and I lived in the Station Masters House at Princetown on bleak Dartmoor - the Princetown railway closed in 1956, the year we moved in! My great grandfather and his son work for Great Western Railway - so I guess apart from broadcasting, you could say I have railway smoke in my blood!
I hope these locomotives receive the the attention and care they deserve.