Hestia is a standard Tinkerbell design closely following the styling of the original, the main difference being it has been fitted with locomotive type boiler from new.
Construction began in the early 2000’s when it was started as one of a pair of Tinkerbells being built by Joe Nemeth for use on the Oldown Miniature Railway near Bristol. One loco was completed named James and this ran on the line for several years up until the line’s closure.
The identical sister locomotive to James was started but never finished and was sold on to Station Road Steam in 2004. Work completed included main frames, wheels, a complete boiler (from Bell Boilers) and a full set of castings.
The loco then spent a time with a buyer in Scotland, before returning to Joe in 2006 via Station Road Steam, still in a part-built condition. It was purchased in 2007 by the current owner and completed over the next 8 years with the loco first steaming in 2015.
The loco is named Hestia after the Greek Goddess of the hearth and the home.
Hestia is permanently located at the Moors Valley Railway and you’ll most likely see here running at our Summer and Autumn galas, hauling a mixture of freight and passenger, or double heading with other locomotives on service trains.
