This locomotive was built at the Newcastle Forth Street works of by Robert Stephenson & Co in 1879.
The locomotive was used at a number of location which included as a contractors engine. It worked on the development of the North Eastern Railway at Bolton Percy in around 1903. It is best known, however, for its long service with Richard Evans & Co Ltd (and their successor, the NCB) at the Haydock Foundry near St Helens. At Haydock it hauled coal wagons from the company collieries and also the Manchester Ship Canal at their own wharf at Acton Grange near Warrington.
Late in its life it probably received a boiler transplant as it now features Ramsbottom safety valves in place of the original Salter spring balance type. It also has what appear to be replacement tanks, of square profile and lacking the graceful curved top edges of the original Stephenson ones.
It was presented to the Penrhyn Castle Industrial Railway Museum in 1966, moving there on in September of that year. Since then it has been on static display both outside and latterly inside the museum located in the former stables at the castle in North Wales.
In November 2014 Beamish Museum announced that they had reached agreement with the National Trust to move the locomotive to Beamish on long-term loan.
The locomotive was still to be found at Penrhyn Castle Industrial Railway Museum in early 2020 when the Corvid-19 pandemic curtailed discussions on the future of the steam locomotives in the museums collection. It is believed the plan then was that the locomotive would go to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. Haydock is very similar to the first locomotive to work on trains on the Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway.
Railway.
In February 2024 it was disclosed that the locomotive had been donated to the ISLE OF wight STEAM railway following a review of the National Trust collection at Penrhyn Castle.
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 