In 2003 the author. Richard Thompson, purchased Ruston & Hornsby’s No.299099, a type 88DS. For much of the period since then it has acted as the regular shunter at Tyseley Locomotive Works, pushing around some of the most well-known steam, diesel and electric locomotives in the country, as is well illustrated here.
However, this book is not just about one locomotive, nor even the other Ruston locomotives in whose preservation the author has been involved. It provides a general introduction to Ruston & Hornsby’s development, including their non-railway products and their role in one of Churchill’s less successful ideas for a secret weapon (in which the author’s grandfather was involved).
The impact of the company on the city of Lincoln is also covered, reminding us that the factory which built the final Ruston railway locomotives is still active today, producing gas turbines.
112 pages, illustrated with more than 120 photographs, plus Ruston adverts and extracts from their brochures.