ORION The Heritage Engine – Saved for the Nation

2008 Steaming dates (Page last updated 20 Jan 08) All at Locomotion, Shildon.

8 & 9 Mar  Model railway event

9 & 10 Aug Model mania event

20 & 21 Sep Steam gala.

Publication- Orion, Darroch and the 'Alfreds', by R.A.S. Hennessey

The story of the 9½ inch gauge scale model of a Webb compound, built almost a century ago, the prototypes on which it was modeled, its maker and recent restoration with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund.  16 page A5 booklet with colour and black & white illustrations.  Low resolution cover preview Price £3.00 post free from The Librarian, Stephenson Locomotive Society, 46 Mill Street, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT1 2RF

ORION is the true ‘Heritage Engine’. The facts speak for themselves.. The Stephenson Locomotive Society, generously aided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the skills of John Ellis has been able to preserve this unique, working steam locomotive for the nation.

Public appearances by Orion are also included in the events listings page.

ORION became a century old in 2005. It was originally designed and mostly built at Crewe, a world-class engineering centre in the golden years of the London & North Western Railway. Taken as a whole, ORION is a perfect, scaled-down replica of an LNWR express engine of the time. Steam enthusiasts may warm to the knowledge that ORION is the last Crewe-built Webb compound in operation, a great tribute to its original designer and owner, Richard Darroch, and to all those who have cherished it ever since.

The Stephenson Locomotive Society intends to ensure that ORION is put on public exhibition, and occasionally steamed so that it can be experienced and admired as a working part of the British engineering heritage. It is also intended to publish an illustrated booklet about ORION in 2006.

Some facts about ORION:

• ORION is a one-sixth scale version of a full-size engine of that name, built at Crewe in 1902, and lasting to 1928.   The locomotive is a genuine Webb Compound, built just like the full size versions, with two outside high pressure cylinders and two low pressure ones between the frames.  The valve gear, is of course, Joy Valve Gear driven from between the frames and with a simple lever at the front to drive the outside cylinder valves.

• The original ORION once worked on crack West Coast Main Line expresses.

• ORION was designed by Richard Darroch (1880-1960), a Crewe-trained engineer, later a senior figure at Crewe Works. Richard Darroch was helped in his building task by skilled workers of Crewe: fitters, foundry men, etc.

• ORION steamed around Darroch’s garden, and was publicly exhibited from time to time, up to the 1930s.

• The locomotive was exhibited at St. George's Hall, Liverpool at the centenary celebrations of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1930.

  Richard Darroch bequeathed ORION to the Stephenson Locomotive Society, which stored it carefully and then began the long task of restoring it.

• After a sojourn at Penrhyn Castle (National Trust) where some useful repairs had been effected, it was entrusted to John Ellis of Brierley Hill, a noted model and miniature engineer, for complete restoration.

The Stephenson Locomotive Society was greatly aided in this work by the generosity of the Heritage Lottery Fund.  A grant of £6,700was awarded for the restoration work. During the restoration programme the frames and tender were exhibited

• at the Crewe Works Open Weekend on 31 May and 1 June 2003. Following completion of the boiler overhaul Orion
• at Railfest at the National Railway Museum, York from 29 May to 6 June 2004. 

  Orion at Railfest, York. 2004. of Orion atYork © Bruce Nathan.)

• ORION was relaunched, in full steam, at the Downs School, Colwall, on 24 April 2005 – and is now steaming into a bright future!

Line drawing of a member of the Alfred the Great class

The locomotive is currently on display at the National Railway Museum's sub-site at Shildon in Co Durham. UK.

The Society would like to express sincere gratitude to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their contribution to this project.

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