Hello everyone,

I'm Lawrie from LMM - if you've stumbled upon here and not sure who I am, check out my YouTube Channel here: LMM

Many of you will know that I own Ruston 48 294266 - which is out of service requiring new tyres, and has been an ongoing problem since before COVID, and I've been looking at options to be able to bring it back into traffic.

To do that, we're going to buy Ruston 393303, that has languished forgotten about in a scrapyard for the last 40 years. This Ruston 48 is substantially complete, missing buffers and bodywork, but most importantly has a very good set of wheels underneath.

This wheelset will enable 294266 to return into traffic quickly - and everyone who donates over £10 will be invited to the engines return to traffic at the Mid Suffolk Light Railway - and receive an invite to an exclusive live stream of the day if they can't make it, and any donations of over £50 will be invited for a footplate ride on the engine. Any donations of over £100 will get the before mentioned, and have their names engraved on a plaque in the cab for all to see!

The cost of this wheelset is £1500, plus transport and machinery costs to be able to lift the machine off it's wheels - looking at being about £800 for the hire of a suitable hi hab.

However. If we managed to reach the goal, of £4000, that will allow us to save the entirety of 393303 (£2500) and take it to a Heritage Railway for restoration (Hihab and movement £1500) - a community project that you guys can come and get involved in.

So, lets not only restore 294266 to active service, and taking a spotlight roll on the channel, but lets save 393303 and bring her back to life - and in 2023 do something amazing, and actually save a locomotive from Scrap!

This would launch a new series on the channel looking at maintaining, restoring, and working on a pair of Ruston 48's.

In the unlikely (but very wonderful) event that we exceed the goal, all money will be put to one side to help with the overhaul of 294266 and restoration of 393303.

Thank you to all of you for reading and considering helping out - I can't do this without you.

Much love, Lawrie