This locomotive was built in 1899 by Peckett & Sons as a W4 class locomotive.
It was purchased by Tytherington Stone Company for use at Church Quarry which was connected to the Thornbury branch north of Bristol which was part of the Midland Railway.
By the early 1900s the quarry was producing around 60 trucks of 8 ton capacity being taken to Avonmouth every weekend.
The locomotive was named Daphne after the Squire’s eldest daughter.
In 1923 the locomotive was sold to Pilkington Brothers for use at their Ravenhead works in St Helens. It remained there for the rest of its working life.
Its life in preservation started with being in a childrens playground at Skelmersdale and the at Lytham St Annes.
In 2002 the locomotive moved to the Ribble Steam Railway. At this time it was in reasonable external condition but had suffered much mechanical damage after decades of exposure to the elements. It was one of the few exhibits at the Ribble Steam Railway that was not housed under cover.
The plan at the Ribble Steam Railway was to use the locomotive for spares but in January 2018 the locomotive was made available for acquisition to anyone wishing to restore it.
The locomotive has never steamed in preservation and is thought to need a new firebox and boiler barrel.
In May 2018 it was announced that the locomotive would move to the North West Museum of Road Transport in St Helens. It was still at the Ribble Steam Railway in the summer of 2020.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 