Thomas II ‘Ernie Turner’
Ernie Turner, originally called ‘Uncle John’, was built by John Forshaw in 1988 (making it one of our oldest resident engines ever). He went to the Ness Island Railway and ran there until 2010. The engine named ‘Uncle John’ came from the owner of the Ness Island Railway, with John Forshaw being the Uncle of Ian, so was therefore named after him in honour,
However, it was decided in 2010 to sell the engine, with it being purchased by a private owner to use at Barnards. It took three days to drive the engine from Ness Island in Scotland to Barnards in Essex.
The idea rolled around about renaming the engine later in its life, and the nameplates were ordered with the name ‘Ernie Turner’ chosen.
Ernie Turner has proven to be a useful and serviceable engine, but with the introduction of our fleet of four Exmoor locomotives from 2016 onwards, she has not seen as much use as previously.
In 2018, she was removed from service for some maintenance on her boiler and underframe. Going in and out of service she returned to steam in late 2025.