Back in September I passed through Stratford (regional) station in East London and was surprised to find a steam loco 'plinthed' between the railway and bus stations…
'ROBERT' (works no.2068 of 1933) is a product of the Avonside Engine Co Ltd in Bristol and I found myself wondering why it was on display here.
I'm still not sure…
'ROBERT' (originally named Lamport No.3) spent all its working life at the Staveley Coal and Iron Ltd's Lamport Calcine Sidings in Northamptonshire before moving into preservation at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in 1970.
After passing through a number of heritage railways it ended up on display at the Windsor Terrace entrance to Beckton Gasworks in East London.
Apart from a temporary move to the East Anglian Railway Museum while work was carried out in the area in preparation for the 2012 Olympics 'ROBERT' has been on display outside Stratford station since 2000.
In fact, apart from now being painted a colour known as Colchester Crimson, a shade used by the Great Eastern Railway (whose main workshops were located at Stratford) I can't find any link between the loco and the area where it is displayed… Did somebody indeed think that a random 'Steamer' would add a bit of heritage to the area?
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