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Aveling Porter Rail locomotive 9449 Blue Circle

Blue Circle at Quainton Road in June 2001 (Richard Salmon)

Aveling Porter were well known for their road-going steam engines. They also built a few railway locomotives, and most of those surviving are 0-4-0s. This example formerly operated at Snodland Cement Works, and was presented to the Bluebell in 1964 by its owners, Associated Portland Cement. Finally restored to working order after many years of inactivity, it was not a locomotive which really fitted any niche on the Bluebell Railway, so was been placed on loan in the care of a group who own another similar locomotive, and was sold to them in 2001. The photo, right, (by Mike Esau) shows the loco at the Bluebell, in the old dock at Sheffield Park, prior to restoration.

• An album from Tony Pearce
• Paul Pettitt's photographic pages