Current state: in restoration
Cockerill 975 "Jojo" from 1875 is the third oldest preserved Belgian steam locomotive! It owes its nickname to the previous owner's wife, who calls it Marie-Jo. In 1875, the locomotive was delivered by the constructor Société Anonyme John Cockerill in Seraing. In 1802, Briton John Cockerill emigrated to what is now Belgium and later founded an industrial empire there. In 1835, it became the first company in Belgium to start manufacturing steam locomotives. After building 3300 steam locomotives, production stopped in 1950 (the company still builds diesel locomotives).
Jojo belongs to the type III of the successful model steam locomotives with vertical field boiler of the Liège firm. The shape of the boiler gave these locomotives the nickname bouteille (bottle). This model had 2 major advantages over a classic locomotive. First, the time until the locomotive was on pressure was only 1 hour, compared to 4 hours for a normal industrial locomotive. In addition, the length between wheels could be limited, allowing the locomotive to take sharper curves. The locomotives could be supplied in different sizes and gauges, divided into six types.
The locomotive had a long commercial career of almost 100 years! First she was supplied to the Hainaut coal mines of les Charbonage Mariemont d'Olive, later merged into La S.A. des Charbonnages de Mariemont-Bascoup. Around 1910, the boiler was worn out and Jojo was exchanged at Cockerill for a stronger Type IV. She was fitted with a new boiler (which she still has) and found a new home at the coal mine of the Société anonyme des Charbonnages de Patience et Beaujonc réunis at Glain near Liège. There she entered service on 15 November 1912. Together with 7 other locomotives of different ages and all belonging to the Cockerill company, as this company was a few kilometres away, she provided internal transport for the mine. For this purpose, she was also equipped with buffers for towing narrow gauge wagons. In 1970, the fire in this locomotive was finally extinguished. So people thought anyway.
In 1974, some Liege railway enthusiasts got permission to restore the locomotive. At the SNCB workshop in Kinkempois, Jojo was completely refurbished and she returned under pressure at the celebration of 50 years of SNCB in 1976. After this, she returned to Glain. The mine had closed by then, but a coal merchant of the same name came to the site and used the old steamers as life-size signboards. She was then exhibited once more in Ans.
Things remained quiet around Jojo for a while, until in the early 1990s the Limburg Steam Society bought the locomotive, along with a slightly younger sister loco from the mine. On 6 April 1993, the loco moved to As station where the museum association was based. Here she was given her name Jojo, after the wife of the president of LSV. After a short restoration in which mainly sheet metal and some pipes were replaced, the first trial run could take place on 24 July 1994. A problem with a leaking moderator could soon be fixed and Jojo was festively inaugurated on 15 August 1994. She then rode rides for tourists in the yard of Ash station.
Jojo seemed to have a bright future as a museum locomotive in Limburg, but things turned out differently. Due to internal quarrels at the LSV, the old lady ended up in the former chairman's front yard in 2000. Her condition continued to deteriorate and in 2008 she had to leave there. Fortunately, Tubize 2069 asbl was informed and it was able to acquire Jojo. On 2 August, the locomotive arrived at Baasrode-North station by road.
For some time she then remained stationary there, but in November 2010 the laborious restoration of Jojo was started. Yet restoration work was quickly halted because the repair of Cockerill 2643 was given priority. Around 2013, work could then continue. Once again, something else got in the way, interrupting restoration: the gigantic restoration project of the Tubize 2069 'Helena' locomotive by the non-profit organisation of the same name. Only from 2020 was there time again to work on Jojo. Since then, work has quietly continued on the extensive restoration work, but because she is primarily a prestige project, she is low on the priority list.
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