THE STEPNEY CLUB
Founded in 1987
Because he is now over 135 years old, Stepney is now only in steam very occasionally. He was returned to steam for the Bluebell's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2010, having been our first loco back in May 1960.
Stepney was also repainted so that he looked exactly as he had 50 years earlier. One of the two coaches he hauled back then was also given a coat of "Bluebell Blue" paint so that we could re-create the inaugural train, as seen above, in Richard Clark's photo.
Stepney also hauled some of the "Bluebell Specials" with the Observation Car in May 2011, as seen in Derek Hayward's photo on the left.
We are sorry to say that Stepney's older brother, Fenchurch, is now out of service awaiting an overhaul, following ten years in service.
The photo on the right shows that Stepney was honoured to haul the re-launch train for London Chatham and Dover coach 114, the coach immediately behind him, when it returned to service in November 2006.
Also in November 2006 Stepney and fellow "Stroudley Terrier" Fenchurch were in steam together with three other terriers from Norfolk, Kent and the Isle of Wight, as seen in the photo below.
Last upated 4 August 2011 by Richard Salmon