‘JOFFRE’.

The French Government had some 320 narrow gauge steam locomotives built to their standard design by the French locomotive builder Decauville, for use on the military trench railways in the First World War. When an additional 70 locomotives, were required, which Decauville were unable to fulfill, the order was placed with Kerr, Stuart & Company of Stoke-on-Trent.

The resulting ‘Joffre’ class locomotives while outwardly similar to the Decauville design had several design changes.  The firebox was deeper and this required it to be moved back and dropped down behind the rear driving wheels, whereas the Decauville had a shallower firebox above the rear axle.  The springing was also changed with the rear two axles being linked with a compensating mechanism, as opposed to the front two on the Decauville. Apart from a noticeable reduction in cab space, these changes had an undesirable effect of moving the weight distribution rearwards.  Most likely due to these changes and while the locos were still in production, Kerr, Stuart were asked to carry out modifications to several items to improve the locomotives ability to stay on the track, these being mainly alterations to the tyre profile of the wheels, modifications to the springing arrangements, and the addition of 6cwt additional weight to the front buffer beam, to attempt to equalise the axle loading. It is of interest that the correspondence regarding these modifications were from Colonel Pechot who was considered to be the French Narrow Gauge Military Railway Supremo.

On cessation of hostilities several of the locomotives were purchased by French locomotive dealers Brunner & Marchand of Bouray and five subsequently sold to Carrières de la Vallée Heureuse et du Haut-Banc, Marquise/Rinxent, Pas de Calais, a large limestone quarry which had a 600mm gauge line that ran between the quarry face and the processing plant. The five locomotives remained here until the end of their working lives, all being noted out of use in August 1956. They then remained derelict at the quarry.

As the last stop on the return from a railway holiday in Spain, two of the current trustees of the Locomotive Trust visited the quarries in 1973 and managed to get a good look at the locomotives. This visit was followed up with a letter enquiring if one of the locomotives could be acquired. The reply from France stated that other British narrow gauge enthusiasts had just purchased all five locos for preservation. However, through subsequent negotiations, 2405 changed hands before the locomotives were moved to the UK. All five locomotives were loaded onto three low loading lorries (2405 on its own lorry), and crossed the channel on 11th October 1974 aboard the Townsend Car Ferry “Free Enterprise VII”.  2405, was then driven straight to the West Lancashire Light Railway at Hesketh Bank.

The motion was removed so that the locomotive could be shunted and it received a cosmetic coat of paint. As anticipated, the assessment of the locomotive showed that it needed a great deal of work to restore it and it was the mid-1980s before this work was able to commence. The work included major boiler work, work to the running gear, renewal of much of the platework of the tanks and cab and a huge amount of detailed work. Being undertaken mostly through voluntary efforts, the work was necessarily protracted and locomotive was eventually steam tested and run under its own power in June 2012. It had spent considerably longer out of use than in service for its two previous owners.

Graham Lee of the Statfold Barn Railway had managed to purchase one of the original worksplates from the locomotive and very generously donated it.

The locomotive was restored to the lined works photographic grey livery, and was named Joffre after the French General Joseph Joffre who was the Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916.  The naming was carried out at a special ceremony on 27^th July 2012 by Colonel Steve Davies MBE who was Director of the National Railway Museum.