LB&SCR A1X class 55 Stepney

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London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1X Class number 55 Stepney, named after the district of Stepney, is a preserved steam locomotive based at the Bluebell Railway in East and West Sussex, England. Stepney is well known as the first standard gauge engine to be based at the Bluebell Railway, arriving by rail on 17 May 1960.[1] The junior (8 years old and under) membership scheme of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society is known as the Stepney Club.

LB&SCR A1X Class 55 Stepney
Stepney at Horsted Keynes with sister engine 672 Fenchurch.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerWilliam Stroudley
BuilderBrighton works
Build date21 December 1875
1912 (rebuilt)
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte0-6-0T
 • UICC
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.48 in (1,219 mm)
Wheelbase12 ft (3,658 mm)
Length26 ft 0+12 in (7.94 m)
Career
Operators
ClassA1X
Power classBR: 0P
WithdrawnMay 1960
Stepney in Bluebell Black livery

Stepney re-entered service on the Bluebell in May 2010 after a fast track overhaul and was used on light duties until its main steam pipe failed in early 2014. Stepney currently wears Stroudley Improved Engine Green, but previously wore the lined black livery that was carried during the first (1960) season on the Bluebell. On 14 January 2012, Stepney made an "only-morning" appearance in BR Lined Black with the "cycling lion" crest and its BR number, 32655, for a special photographic charter. It carried the same BR Lined Black Livery again on 17 April 2012 for another photographic charter, this time though with the later "ferret and dartboard" crest. It returned to "Bluebell Black" in time for its visit to the National Railway Museum's "Railfest" in the first week of June 2012.[2] Stepney is now on static display at the Bluebell railway, awaiting new cylinders and work on the frames and boiler.

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Stepney appears in the music video for Tracey Ullman's "Move Over Darling" (1983).

 

Stepney was featured in The Railway Series book Stepney The "Bluebell" Engine by Wilbert Awdry, as well as its television adaptation Thomas & Friends.

References

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  1. ^ Clegg, Malcolm (30 July 2020). British Steam Locomotives Before Preservation: A Study of Before & Afterlife. Pen and Sword Transport. p. 56. ISBN 978-1526760470.
  2. ^ Tuplin, Richard (1 June 2012). "FINAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR RAILFEST 2012". Railway Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
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