A RAILWAY museum is hoping to raise £100,000 in a bid restore its flagship locomotive before its centenary celebration.

The East Anglian Railway Museum, which is based at Chappel station, has launched the fundraiser to get its N7 locomotive into tip-top shape.

The plan is to raise £100,000 to revamp the steam train in time for its 100th birthday in 2024.

The train would then run on the museum’s demonstration line and also be available for short visits to other sites in the UK.

It was first brought to the museum in 1973 but has a long history, starting in 1924.

The locomotive has undergone numerous restorations and overhauls during its lifetime but, following the expiration of its boiler certificate in 2015, the train has been awaiting its third overhaul in preservation.

The N7 is the last of the 134 that were built and is also the largest of the museum’s locomotive collection.

Work on the train has been underway with its boiler being removed in August 2020 and some sign writing taking place in April this year.

But now the museum is trying to raise £100,000 to complete the rest of the work.

Supporters can sponsor the restoration or even parts of the train, such as a crown stay, smoke tube and flue tube.

The cheapest donation of a specific component starts at £35 with 800 sponsorship slots available.

The most expensive is for the flue tube at £680 with just 18 slots available.

A flue tube sponsorship will also net donors a complimentary half day train driver experience on the N7.

For more information visit, earm.co.uk/n7_resto_appeal.