Riley & Son (E) Ltd, is a railway locomotive engineering and refurbishment company. Founded in 1992 as Ian Riley Engineering, the company has been a leader in main line steam haulage, being one of the pioneers of fitting air brake, TPWS and OTMR equipment to steam locomotives. Having originally been based at the East Lancashire Railway in Bury, in 2016 it moved to Heywood.[1]

Riley & Son
Founded1992
FounderIan Riley
Headquarters,
England
ServicesRailway locomotive engineering
OwnerIan Riley
Websitewww.rileysuk.com

Spot hire company

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In the early 2000s, Ian Riley Engineering operated as a spot-hire company purchasing five Class 37s diesel locomotives (37038, 37197, 37235, 37261 and 37423) from EWS.[2][3] The first (37197) entered service in a brunswick green and grey livery in November 2001.[4] All were sold in 2003/04 to Direct Rail Services and West Coast Railways.[5][6]

Notable projects

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Flying Scotsman

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In January 2006, work began at the National Railway Museum on an overhaul of Flying Scotsman that was expected to take 18-20 months and cost £1.6 million. However costs and timescales grew out of control and there were tensions between the museum and its contractors. In 2013 Riley & Son were awarded a contract to see the project to completion. The work was finished in 2016.[7][8][9][10] Riley & Son managed the locomotive's operations for two years after the restoration.[11]

Lady of Legend

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In 2006, the company worked on the rebuilding of GWR 4900 Class locomotive 4942 Maindy Hall to 2999 Lady of Legend.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ Regional News Rail issue 797 30 March 2016 page 25
  2. ^ ELR receives a Class 37 - with main line possibilities The Railway Magazine issue 1185 January 2000 page 92
  3. ^ Ian Riley acquires a fifth Class 37 Rail issue 440 24 July 2002 page 61
  4. ^ Riley Engineering launches image on 37 Rail issue 423 28 November 2001 page 17
  5. ^ Riley pulls out of diesel spot-hire market - four 37s for sale Rail issue 468 20 August 2003 page 61
  6. ^ Riley sells 37s to WCRC Rail issue 488 26 May 2004 page 23
  7. ^ "National Railway Museum reveals just how much its cost taxpayers to return Flying Scotsman to operation". rail.co.uk. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ^ "About - Flying Scotsman". National Railway Museum.
  9. ^ Shute, Joe (20 December 2015). "Flying Scotsman: A colossus of British engineering reborn". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Restoring the nation's favourite: Bury rail yard working to repair the Flying Scotsman". Manchester Evening News. 30 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Full steam ahead as Flying Scotsman set to return to mainline by end of 2015". The Guardian. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  12. ^ "The Saint Project". 2999 Lady of Legend. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  13. ^ "The Railway Magazine - Volume 152 - Page 65". 2006.
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