Roanoke ‘Dereck’
Dereck is a Roanoke RS2 type build. The company produced plenty of these locomotives over the years which are running at railways all over the country. Although Roanoke is not the most recognised constructor of locomotives, they have produced a sturdy and reliable number of locos out of their workshops in Bratton Fleming, Devon.
Our very own ‘Dereck’ was built in 2016 at their works, and delivered to the now closed Barleylands Miniature Railway just up the road from Barnards. He was the most used locomotive, commonly seen running the short length between the main station and Littlewood Junction (just around the corner) with a rake of Mardyke MK3 coaches.
Barleylands had a fleet of standard gauge steam locomotives, including 9F 92203 ‘Black Prince’, 70000 ‘Britannia’ and the freelance called ‘Gowrie’, which were maintained and sometimes used for service. As the years went on the steam fleet was utilised less with ‘Dereck’ being the mainstay of the services.
In 2016, the Barleylands Miniature Railway closed to the public and track lifted. The majority of the stock came to Barnards. The 9F and Britannia were based here for a few years but have since left to new homes, Gowrie also leaving and eventually overhauled at the Cockrow Miniature Railway. The Mardyke MK3 coaches have since been repainted into BR Blue & Grey, some have moved on but we have retained a fleet of 7.
Dereck was immediately used on predominantly work party trains, being used to haul huge quantities of ballast and tools around the site for maintenance purposes. Dereck then went in for a repaint into a nice Burgundy with warning stripe. Proper metal nameplates and PW2 (permanent way locomotive 2) lettering was applied to the side.
In 2025, Dereck underwent a full overhaul with a new engine fitted. As of 2026, he is available for service and is occasionally seen running passenger services on busy days.