LNER Peppercorn Class A2 60532 Blue Peter

LNER Peppercorn Class A2 No. 60532 Blue Peter is a 4-6-2 ("Pacific") steam locomotive built in 1948 at Doncaster Works to a design by Arthur Peppercorn, hauling express passenger services on British Railways' North Eastern Region. It is the only Peppercorn A2 in existence after the 14 other locomotives of its class were scrapped.

Blue Peter was withdrawn from operation in 1966 and was bought for preservation in 1968. It gained notoriety in the 1970s and beyond following a campaign for its restoration on the BBC television series Blue Peter, and the locomotive has subsequently been featured several times in the programme. In late 1994, it was involved in a severe wheel slip incident in Durham but was later repaired and continued mainline excursion service in 1996 until 2001. In 2014, Blue Peter was purchased by the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust, where it received an extensive overhaul, and returned to steam in 2024.

British Railways (1948–1966)
No. 60532 was outshopped from Doncaster Works on 25 March 1948 as the eighth member of the Peppercorn A2, and the first of its class to enter traffic under British Railways numbering. In LNER tradition, it was named after a famous racehorse; Blue Peter was a Thoroughbred owned by Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery, which in 1939 won races including The Derby and the 2000 Guineas. The horse earned almost £32,000 for Lord Rosebery, more than enough to purchase three LNER 4-6-2 locomotives at the time.

Initially, Blue Peter was allocated to British Railways' North Eastern Region shed at York, working express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line. In September 1949, Blue Peter and the other four A2s went to Doncaster Works, where a number of modifications were made to them such as the fitting of a multiple valve regulator and a double blastpipe and chimney, together with Kylchap cowls. Afterwards, the five A2s, including 60532, moved to Scotland to make up for deficiencies experienced with the Thompson Class A2/2s (rebuilt LNER Class P2). Blue Peter was allocated to Aberdeen, with all the Scottish-based A2s used mainly on express passenger services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, which benefited from their greater power and acceleration. In 1951, Blue Peter achieved 100 mph during a trial run between Stonehaven and Montrose with the Aberdonian.

After the English-based A2s were withdrawn in 1962 and 1963, the three remaining Scottish A2s remained in service on the Aberdeen route until June 1966. Replaced by diesel power, Blue Peter was allocated to Dundee and became the last Peppercorn Pacific to be overhauled at Darlington Works. As a result, it was often requested for rail tours, working as far as Holyhead and Exeter St Davids. Blue Peter's final rail tour was in October 1966 over the Waverley Line and the West Coast Main Line over Beattock summit. It was withdrawn from service on 31 December 1966, and put into storage at Thornton Junction shed.

Preservation (1966–present)
In 1968, Blue Peter was purchased by Geoff Drury, who originally wanted to buy an LNER Peppercorn Class A1, but the last one No. 60145 Saint Mungo was scrapped two years prior. After preservation, Blue Peter was the subject of a campaign for its restoration on the BBC Television series Blue Peter, and the locomotive has subsequently been featured several times in the programme.

The restoration work was undertaken at York, Leeds and Doncaster Works, where it was repainted in LNER apple green livery as No. 532, the number it would have carried if built pre-nationalisation. 60,000 people witnessed its renaming by the BBC Blue Peter programme presenters at a Doncaster Works Open Day in 1971. Around 1974, Blue Peter was steamed up for the first time at the Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham.

Moved to the Dinting Railway Centre, it did little running and in late 1987, the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG) took charge of 60532 and A4 Bittern on long-term loan from the Drury family. Restored at the Imperial Chemical Industries works at Wilton, Redcar and Cleveland, 60532 was renamed by the BBC Blue Peter programme for a second time in December 1991.

It was then moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for running in. The locomotive obtained its main line certificate in 1992 and subsequently worked many rail tours over the Settle and Carlisle Railway and as far north as its old depot of Aberdeen.



On 1 October 1994, during a run from Edinburgh to York, 60532 suffered extensive damage during a catastrophic uncontrolled wheelslip at 140 mph on the Durham Viaduct after an unscheduled stop at Durham station. The damaged parts included the outside valve gear, coupling rods and axleboxes; a driving wheel also moved on its axle. After the incident, the locomotive was moved to Thornaby MPD, where the repair work took 18 months to complete. On 31 May 1996, 60532 was then moved again to the NYMR for running in. The locomotive resumed its mainline career in November 1996, working a charter from Middlesbrough to Preston via Newcastle and Carlisle.

In 1998, 60532 ran an Edinburgh to London excursion to mark the 40th anniversary of the Blue Peter TV programme. The trip was Day's Out Limited's "Heart of Midlothian" which had run from Kings Cross to Edinburgh behind a diesel and 60532 worked the journey south with members of the Blue Peter team traveling on board. One presenter Stuart Miles even travelled on the footplate between Newark and Peterborough as that was the section that Mallard set the speed record in 1938.

60532's mainline certificate expired in September 2001 and after that, she was then based at the NYMR, where it worked until the end of the 2002 season when her boiler certificate expired. It was subsequently displayed at the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum. On 22 May 2007, BBC Look North News reported that the locomotive was being moved into storage in Chesterfield, due to the renovation of the museum, and would not be returning.

After 60532 was moved to the Barrow Hill Roundhouse in Derbyshire, the NELPG hoped to raise £600,000 for restoration of the locomotive to main line running. There she was repainted to British Railways apple green livery, similar to the first livery used on the A1 Class 60163 Tornado.

In October 2014, the engine was sold to Jeremy Hosking under the ownership of the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust (RSL&GT), who plan to restore it back to main line standard. The locomotive was moved to the LNWR Heritage facility at Crewe in May 2015. During the overhaul, it was discovered that centre cylinder block was cracked, so a newly fabricated one was made to replace the original. On 21 August 2023, the engine's boiler passed a hydrostatic test. In March 2024, Blue Peter moved under its own power for the first time in 22 years.