Mardyke Class 35 Hymek D7096 ‘Uncle John’
D7096, then unnamed, was built by Marydke Miniature Engineering in 1992, moving to the Grand Chigwell Railway. She originally ran under the name D7031 and gained the unofficial name ‘Minimek’.
At Chigwell, she ran with a small petrol engine, this was then upgraded to an 11hp diesel engine. The Hymek also had dual seating in the cab (meaning the driver can face either way when moving his loco), but this was altered before moving to Barnards.
In 2010, the Barnards Miniature Railway was opened, with D7031 being the first locomotive to arrive, and the first locomotive to haul the first ever train. She was eventually renumbered D7096 and in 2020 received the name ‘Uncle John’. Several other locomotives, including our own Ernie Turner, used to be called Uncle John.
Uncle John has been a frontline locomotive ever since her arrival at Barnards, and apart from a visit to CMD Engineering in 2018 for an overhaul has been here ever since. She is normally found running 7 coach trains on the majority of our open days, from Burtonshaw, via Belvedere and Sitooterie, to Angel Green. If you have ridden at our railway before, chance are Uncle John has carried you.