Farewell to steam owner extraordinare Dennis!
DENNIS Howells’name will be familiar to all Heritage Railway readers. This is the mark of the man, who is possibly best known today for his go-anywhere WR Hawksworth-design 0-6-0PT No. 9466, which he owned for 41 years, restoring it from a Barry scrapyard to concourse condition, operating across swathes of the national and preserved rail network.
He was diagnosed with cancer at the start of this year and suggested we record his railway history for the record. Having known each other for more than 30 years, with Dennis and his team being responsible for introducing me to railway preservation, this came as a huge honour and privilege. The following is a brief record and appreciation of his many railway achievements.
A schoolboy’s dream fulfilled
Dennis joined British Railways in 1955, initially looking to join the footplate grades, something his family and careers master were against, possibly because this was
