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The Blue Circle Locomotive-Engine ; The Aveling & Porter N°.9449

The Aveling & Porter Company

The Aveling & Porter LOGO

Aveling & Porter was a British agricultural engine and steamroller manufacturer. Thomas Aveling and Richard Thomas Porter entered into partnership in 1862, and developed a steam engine three years later in 1865. By the early 1900s, the company had become the largest manufacturer of steamrollers in the world.

Aveling & Porter`s Railway engines

Aveling & Porter built several small shunting / tram locos based on their traction engines. They were basically traction engines with flanged wheels and no steering. Their advantages were that they were cheap to manufacture (and to design in the first place) and they could be operated with minimal training by someone who was familiar with traction engines.

The Preserved Railway engines :

Works N°	Built	Name	Type	Location
807	1872		0-4-0WT	On loan to Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
3567	1895	Sydenham	4wWT	Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
6158	1906	Sirapite	0-4-0WT	Long Shop Museum at Leiston
8880	1917	Sir Vincent	0-4-0WTG	Private site at Fifield
9449	1926	Blue Circle	2-2-0WT	Nene Valley Railway

The Blue Circle

This locomotive was built by Aveling & Porter in 1926. She was an 2-2-O Well-Tank Locomotive. This was the last railway locomotive built by Aveling & Porter.

The early years:

The locomotive was used at the Snodland Works of Holborough Cement Company Ltd who later became part of Blue Circle Cement.

TheBlueCircle

At the Bluebell:

It was presented by Associated Portland Cement to the Bluebell Railway in 1964.

After many years it was restored at the Bluebell Railway but it was not really suitable for operating there. In 1997 it was loaned, and then sold, to a group who had a similar locomotive at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton.

The Later years:

In 2005 it moved to the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway and in 2007 to the Battlefield Line at Shackerstone.

In January 2015 it moved on to the Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway where it was operational.

The Sale:

In mid 2018 the locomotive was put up for sale and was still available for purchase in March 2019.

It is planned to use the locomotive in June 2019 to haul the first train on the restored Leiston Works Railway in Suffolk although it will not be hauling passenger trains.

The later 20s:

In the summer of 2020 the locomotive was at the Nene Valley Railway.

From:

https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/aveling-porter-works-no-9449-blue-circle-2-2-0wt/

https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/aveling-porter-ltd/