An historic narrow-gauge locomotive with links to industry, heritage railways and Legoland Windsor has found a new home at the Old Kiln Light Railway near Farnham.

The locomotive, known as Amey, was donated to the Old Kiln Light Railway (OKLR) by Legoland Windsor in February and is now part of the Old Kiln's locomotive fleet next to the Rural Life Living Museum on Reed Road in Tilford.

Volunteer Ryan McDonnell said: "Amey was found abandoned in a hole in a Legoland car park. It is thought that Amey was sold to contractors who didn't have any use for her.

“So, she sat there until we were contacted. To get Amey here was another challenge due to her weight and the work that she needed doing. We were able to get Alan Keef Ltd to complete the work to return her to her former glory.

"This story got the attention of many in the narrow-gauge locomotive community because of how we managed to bring her back to life. But if it weren't for our volunteers and donations, nothing like this would be possible."

Built in 1939 by Motor Rail as works locomotive MR7902, the engine was originally supplied to ICI Alkali Ltd in Cheshire. It was specially built with a reduced-height cab and a two-foot gauge to meet the company's operating requirements at its Rainham site in Essex.

During its 86-year history, the locomotive has worked at a number of well-known heritage railways. In the 1970s it was used during the construction of Dinorwig Power Station while based at the Llanberis Lake Railway in North Wales, where it carried the name Garrett. It later moved to the Brecon Mountain Railway, operating as Baldwin.

After being acquired by Alan Keef Ltd in 1991, the locomotive underwent a major rebuild, including the installation of a replacement engine. Renamed Brecon, it was hired for engineering projects before moving to Legoland Windsor in 1996. At Legoland, the locomotive was renamed Amey, after the daughter of the resort's first facilities manager.

Although primarily used on engineering and maintenance trains, it also served as the railway's emergency rescue locomotive. It was taken out of service in 2013 following a clutch failure and remained in storage until its donation to the OKLR earlier this year.

Volunteers at the Old Kiln Light Railway have carried out a comprehensive overhaul with the aim of returning the historic locomotive to operational condition for visitors to enjoy.

Amey hauled her first-ever public passenger trains on Sunday, May 17, between 11am and 3pm following off-site mechanical overhaul work carried out by Alan Keef Ltd, and has since been repainted in-house by the railway's dedicated team of volunteers.

The Old Kiln Light Railway was originally founded in the early 1970s as the Wey Valley Light Railway. The line was located around a disused pumping station in Farnham and, in 1982, the land was sold for redevelopment, so the railway track and equipment were relocated to the Old Kiln Museum, now known as the Rural Life Living Museum.

Volunteers say the restoration has been a labour of love, with the mechanical overhaul and repaint carried out largely thanks to donations and hundreds of hours of volunteer time.

The Old Kiln Light Railway is encouraging visitors to come and see Amey in action on upcoming running days, with further details available on the railway's website and social media channels.

For a small, volunteer-led railway, bringing a locomotive with an 86-year history back into passenger service is being seen as one of its proudest achievements to date. The Old Kiln Light Railway is hoping that its latest Legoland engine success can also encourage more volunteers to get involved.

If you have any queries regarding the railway, or would like to book a visit or become a volunteer, email [email protected].