The Fenchurch is an LB&SCR A1 class 0-6-0 "Terrier" tank engine built in 1872 at Brighton Works for suburban service
History[]
Built in 1872 at Brighton Works Fenchurch work on the LBSCR doing passenger work, until the arrival of bigger, stronger engines, when it and its siblings were demoted to short branch passenger trains and light shunting duties. It is now a resident of the Bluebell Railway.
Having arrived at the Bluebell Railway in its later-day A1X rebuilt condition in the spring of 1964, Fenchurch was converted back into the likeness of its's original A1 state during its recent overhaul.
The locomotive last operated in January 2011 and is now on display at Sheffield Park engine shed. Overhaul is expected to start after P class No. 27 "Primrose" is completed, with an ambition to return the locomotive to steam for the 150th anniversary of its construction in 2022. As of 2022, Fenchurch has been restored to working order.
Trivia[]
- Fenchurch was mentioned in the 1980 Thomas the Tank Engine Annual.
- In the Thomas the Tank Engine Annual, Fenchurch is Stepney's and Boxhill's sibling.
- Fenchurch is the oldest engine in the Bluebell Railway's heritage collection, being built in 1872.