(BR Swindon 0-6-0 Type 1 Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive (Class 14))

D9518 emerged from Swindon Works at the end of October 1964 being the nineteenth loco of the class of fifty six locomotives (numbered from D9500 to D9555). The 50 ton loco was powered by a 650 horse power Paxman 6YJXL 'Ventura' engine, Voith/North British type L217U hydraulic transmission and Hunslet '650' gearbox. It was allocated new to Cardiff (Canton) (Shed Code 86A), being attached to this depot and, indeed, remaining on the Western Region throughout its short working life on BR. D9518 was amongst the last handful of the class in BR service, all the working survivors being withdrawn on 26th April 1969, having been placed in store twelve days previously, although it known that at least three (D9500,D9517 and D9535) were subsequently 'pressed into service' on occasions after withdrawal.

D9518 was sold to the National Coal Board, Northumberland Area in July 1969 and was towed by rail to the North East of England from Cardiff Canton to Ashington Colliery with stop offs at Gloucester and Birmingham Washwood Heath Yard.

At Ashington, the loco became No.7, being repainted in the distinctive NCB Ashington blue livery (Plant No. 9312/95), a lighter shade of blue from the darker standard NCB Blue. In this location, the loco worked a fairly uneventful life hauling coal and spoil trains around the extensive Ashington system which took in the Ashington, Woodhorn, Ellington and Lynemouth Collieries with occasional visits to Lambton Engine Works, Philadelphia for overhauls and repairs (in 1975 and 1980). Its last overhaul was completed in 1986 prior to the Miners' Strike and was considered to be one of the best locos in service on the system. Unfortunately, just before the strike began, the loco's power unit was removed to correct an oil leak. The strike intervened and, consequently, the engine was never rectified or reinstated.

With the run down of the British coal industry and the subsequent closure of the Ashington Colliery system, all the remaining surviving nine locos out of the original nineteen which had been originally purchased from British Railways by the National Coal Board were purchased for preservation.

NCB No.7 moved south by road, arriving at Rutland Railway Museum at Cottesmore on 26th September 1987. Here it remained as a static exhibit, until transfer within the care of the Iron & Steel Traction Group at NVR on 9th September 2006, as an example of the class in its National Coal Board livery, in contradistinction to the usual return to BR livery - often, the usual 'fate' for ex BR diesels from industry is an instant return to its former BR livery, an identity it probably only carried for a fraction of its overall working life!

Although a spare power unit had been acquired, No.7 has remained as a back-up to other working members of the class in the East Midlands' area (eg. D9516/20/23), the need to restore the loco to working order not being justified due to the availability of other working examples. Indeed, No.7 did provide some vital components to restore D9555 which was also preserved from the NCB in 1987. D9555 is the last of the class and the last of 365 Western Region diesel hydraulic locos built between 1958 and 1965, as well as being the very last railway engine built by the famous Swindon Works for British railway service, and is now in the area where it worked in BR days at the Dean Forest Railway.