Retired diesel-electric locomotive No. 60 handed over to Hong Kong Railway Museum for permanent collection

The MTR Corporation has been supporting the handling of retired trains in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner through the "Legacy Train Revitalisation Programme" to give retired trains a second life and continue serving the public in different forms. The Corporation on October 3 officially handed over the retired Diesel Electric Locomotive No.60 ("L60", a.k.a. "Peter Quick"), which served the East Rail Line for almost half a century, to the Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po for permanent collection and display. The handover of the locomotive celebrates the 110th anniversary of the construction of the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station (now the site of the Hong Kong Railway Museum) and will help to educate the public about the history of passenger and freight railway services in Hong Kong as well as passing on invaluable stories about the city's railway development.

Commencing operation in 1974, L60 was one of the last fleets of diesel-electric locomotives introduced to Hong Kong on the East Rail Line (formerly known as Kowloon-Canton Railway/KCR East Rail). Following the full electrification of the railway line in 1983, L60 was withdrawn from passenger service and switched to hauling freight and maintenance trains until its official retirement in 2021.

Ms Jeny Yeung, Managing Director - Hong Kong Transport Services of MTR Corporation, said, "Operating on the East Rail Line, L60, not only witnessed a golden era of both passenger and freight train services but also supported major projects such as asset renewal and cross-harbor extension of the East Rail Line over recent years. It has made an indispensable contribution to the development of local railway services and is a part of Hong Kong's collective memory. The Corporation is pleased to see that L60 will shoulder a new mission after conservation and become a new collection of the Railway Museum to continue to pass on the precious railway development story."