SLS_Associated_locomotives

Gladstone, Orion and Stephenson

"Gladstone" at the National Railway Museum on special display to mark the 70th anniversary of its preservation. Photo by Bruce Nathan.

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On 20th September 1997 members of the Stephenson Locomotive Society met at the National Railway Museum, York, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of preservation by the Society of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley"B" Class 0-4-0 No214 Gladstone. This was the first instance of preservation of a locomotive by a private body. Gladstone was built in 1882, went into service at Brighton in January 1883 and was withdrawn in December 1926, after running 1,346,918 miles. The SLS had been founded at Croydon in 1909 and there was a strong interest in Brighton locomotives among the early members. Therefore in 1926 as many older locomotives were being withdrawn by the Southern Railway, the Society felt that something of the LB&SCR should be preserved and negotiations were put in hand for the purchase of Gladstone.

Orion

In Orion the SLS are custodians of an engine with tremendous, historic, significance. Although only a miniature locomotive, constructed to run on 9 1/2" gauge track, Orion (LNWR 1957 of the 'Alfred the Great' class) was built approximately 100 years ago by G.R.S. Darroch. Darroch was Assistant Works Manager at Crewe until 1941, and he bequeathed Orion to the Society on his death in 1959.

The size of the engine does not diminish this significance. Orion is the last surviving Webb Compound in the world to have been built at Crewe Works by the London & North Western Railway. Orion is one of only a handful of former LNWR locomotives surviving in preservation anywhere in the world, to any scale. Although built for private use by Mr Darroch all the parts of the locomotive were cast and machined at Crewe Works and the locomotive therefore qualifies as a genuine LNWR locomotive. There are undoubtedly other live steam locomotives built as replicas of LNWR prototype designs. The SLS-owned Orion is unique, this example is the only one built by the LNWR in its main workshops and therefore, as mentioned above, is a genuine LNWR locomotive survivor!

The last surviving, Crewe built, LNWR Webb compound. Orion raises steam at the Downs School Railway, Colwall on Sunday 24 April 2005. Photo © John New/SLS

Photo = the original "Orion" (Not the miniature locomotive) Reproduced with permission - courtesy of the Ian Allan Library Collection (Image No 9863)

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Restoration of the locomotive was successfully completed in spring 2005. On Sunday 24 April 2005 during the Society's AGM weekend, following earlier trial steamings, Orion was steamed and run in front of a gathering of Society members and guests. A short ceremony was held to mark the completion of this overhaul.

The Society's 2005 AGM agreed to the publication of a small booklet giving more details of the engine to celebrate its return to steam. That is now in preparation and when published details will be added to the publications page.

To view the locomotive - Orion is now to be seen on display at Locomotion, part of the National Railway Museum, Shildon, County Durham. Locomotion is open most days and is free. The museum is close to Shildon Station and has ample car parking facilities. For more details contact www.locomotion.org.uk or ( 01388 777999. Information about Orion is readily available on the display or from the Promotions Officer, Derek Cobby, 102 Kingsley Road, Northampton. NN2 7BY and ( 07932 752774.)

87 001 Stephenson

87 001- In autumn 2005 Porterbrook Leasing, owners of the locomotive since privatisation, passed the pioneer class 87 to the custody of the National Railway Museum to be included within the National Collection of preserved locomotives. Stephenson had been "stood down" with a defective transformer prior to the last Class 87 runs on Virgin West coast scheduled services.