British Railways 4-6-2 No. 60532 'Blue Peter'
Crewe, Cheshire, UK 		Location: LNWR Heritage
Status: Operational
Related Notes
Photo Copyright © Russell Newman
Here are the notes for British Railways No. 60532 'Blue Peter', a 4-6-2 located in Crewe, Cheshire. If you have additional information about this locomotive, and would like to share it, click the Add Note button.
Posted: Jul 16, 2025 @ 06:07:52 by Russell Newman
The ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", will be at the Greatest Gathering at Litchurch Lane works in Derby as part of the Railway 200 celebrations from the 1st to 3rd of August 2025. To mark 200 years of opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and 200 years of the modern railway we all know and use today. No. 60532 "Blue Peter" will be part of a special LNER line-up with No. 60103 "Flying Scotsman", No. 60163 "Tornado" and No. 60007 "Sir Nigel Gresley" during the event that will see the much looked forword to A1, A2, A3 and A4 line up for the first time since the end of steam, which will be an LNER fans paradise.
Posted: Nov 19, 2024 @ 13:11:10 by Russell Newman
The ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", is set to haul her first public passenger train on the mainline for the first time since 2001 and following completion of her overhaul and rebuild, as the locomotive will be working Saphos Trains charter "The Christmas White Rose" from Crewe to York and back on the 20th of November 2024.
Posted: Jul 5, 2024 @ 08:07:22 by Russell Newman
The ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", is to be welcomed back onto the mainline and heritage railway circuit, with a special event laid on by her owners the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust and Locomotive Services Ltd, to be held at London’s Kings Cross Station on the 13th of July 2024. No. 60532 in her new BR Blue livery will be on display at Kings Cross Station for an hour and ten miniutes from 13:00 before departing for York along the famous East Coast mainline with a special demonstration train at 14:10.
Posted: Apr 6, 2024 @ 10:04:45 by Russell Newman
Even though its not taking part in the Severn Valley Railway’s upcoming Spring Steam Gala, it is planned for ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", to be on display in light steam during the their Spring Steam Gala on the 18th to 21st of April 2024. Afterwords it is planned for No. 60532 to return to LNWR Heritage at Crewe on the mainline with a Diesel locomotive piloting her as part of her light engine test run on Network Rail for the first time since 2001, followed by a loaded test run from Crewe to Chester and back.
Posted: Apr 2, 2024 @ 15:04:45 by Russell Newman
The chime whistle that ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", carries is not American as first thought, it is in facted from New Zealand, as its an ex New Zealand Railways 5 note chime whistle. It was fitted to "Blue Peter" in the 1970s by her then owner the late Geoff Drury following an overhaul at Doncaster Works then and has carried as an extra whistle since. But it does has an historic connection to the LNER, Sir Nigel Gresley who was the LNER’s chief mechanical engineer liked the sound of a Chime whistle when he heard the sound of one at the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway on one of their American outlined pacific locomotives, he would then fit Chime whistles to his A4 Class Pacific’s and P2 Class 2-8-2’s, British Railways would also fit Chime whistles to some of their BR Standard locomotives too. A New Zealand Railways 5 note chime whistle was fitted to LNER A4 Pacific No. 4492 "Dominion of New Zealand" from 1937, which it carried until being withdrawn from service in the 1960s. "Blue Peter" is currently the only mainline steam locomotive in the UK to have a New Zealand Railways 5 note chime whistle on and in use outside of New Zealand, although other steam engines such as Traction Engines and smaller narrow gauge steam locomotives in the UK have New Zealand Railways 5 note chime whistles also.
Posted: Mar 22, 2024 @ 06:03:38 by Elaine West
Just seen ‘ Blue Peter’ steam into Bridgnorth Severn Valley Railway. Lots of photos taken. How lucky were we?
Posted: Mar 14, 2024 @ 13:03:34 by Russell Newman
For the first time since the Autumn of 2002, ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", was steamed and moved for the first time in over 22 years. Now turned out in BR Blue livery and 60532 underwent some light engine movements in the yard at LNWR Heritage at Crewe and the locomotive now has airbrakes fitted and still retains her American Chime Whistle still along side her LNER Whistle. "Blue Peter" is due to be moved to the Severn Valley Railway for testing and running in trials before taking to the mainline again. Her first mainline run is scheduled on the 25th of July 2024, hauling a Steam Dreams trip from London Victoria, to Exeter and back.
Posted: Jan 20, 2024 @ 10:01:41 by Russell Newman
The overhaul and rebuild of ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter", is now completed and is ready to be operational again. The locomotive is having some last few job being done at LNWR Heritage at Crewe and is being painted in British Railways Blue livery for the first time, a livery the A2 Class never carried in service but will sute "Blue Peter". No. 60532 will be going to the Severn Valley Railway for testing and running in trials before returning to the mainline.
Posted: Jan 13, 2024 @ 06:01:02 by Achim
It was reported that the locomotive entered service in December 2023 and is scheduled to be certified for the main line in 2024.
Posted: Sep 6, 2023 @ 06:09:23 by Russell Newman
The boiler of ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" was steamed for the first time in 21 years for its steam test which it has successfully passed. Work will now get underway on insulation lagging and the outer cladding before being refitted to the frames for final completion of the overhaul and rebuild.
Posted: Aug 21, 2023 @ 11:08:55 by Russell Newman
Another major milestone was reached in the overhaul and rebuild of ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" as the boiler successfully passed its hydraulic test and is now set for its steam test bringing "Blue Peter" one step closer to returning to the mainline and heritage railway circuit again.
Posted: Jul 7, 2023 @ 11:07:49 by Russell Newman
Another major milestone was reached in the overhaul and rebuild of ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" at LNWR Heritage at Crewe, as the newly overhauled boiler along with brand new firebox was placed back onto the main chassis of the locomotive. Other work on No. 60532 has seen the fitment of a steam operated airpump on the leftside at the front of the locomotive on the outside by the left side of the smokebox for "Blue Peter" to be air-braked for mainline running. No. 60532 is now in the final stages of her overhaul and rebuild and could be in steam for the first time since 2002 later in the year?
Posted: Jun 9, 2023 @ 15:06:36 by Russell Newman
A major milestone was reached in the overhaul and rebuild of ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" at LNWR Heritage at Crewe as the locomotive was placed back onto her wheels and the new smokebox was also fitted too. This now marks the final stages of the overhaul and rebuild on No. 60532 which could be back on the mainline and heritage railway circuit again later this year or early 2024?
Posted: Jun 16, 2021 @ 08:06:59 by Russell Newman
The overhaul on ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" is progressing on at LNWR Heritage at Crewe as the brand new middle cylinder casting has now been fitted in place on the chassie of the locomotive and her newly constructed inner copper firebox is soon to be fitted in place. Work is also underway fitting airbrakes to the locomotive along with the mainline safty electronics the black box data recorder, GSMR radio system and the Train Warning Protection System for todays modern mainline running on Network Rail. It is hoped that No. 60532 will be back in steam on the mainline and heritage railway circuit round 2022.
Posted: Apr 18, 2021 @ 06:04:10 by Russell Newman
The overhaul on ex LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" is progressing on at LNWR Heritage at Crewe as its brand new tender tank has been fitted to its tender chassis along with brand new buffers along with a new drag box made. Work is still continuing on the boiler and firebox of the locomotive still.
Posted: Jun 3, 2020 @ 06:06:36 by Russell Newman
The overhaul of LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" is really progressing at LNWR Heritage at Crewe as the wheels have returned with new tyres fitted and a new tender tank has been built. The new middle cylinder has now been fitted to the frames of the locomotive and the boiler has seen a lot of work carried out to it including heavy firebox surgery and some modification to the height of the locomotive for it to run safely on Network Rail. Their is a possibility that No. 60532 could be back sooner then first expected?
Posted: Apr 29, 2020 @ 13:04:00 by Russell Newman
The status of LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 "Blue Peter" should be saying overhaul which she is currently under.
Posted: Jun 10, 2019 @ 05:06:48 by Russell Newman
I was at the All Change open day at LNWR Heritage and saw and learnt that 60532s overhaul and rebuild was coming along very well. Work on the LNER A2 Pacific has seen a new middle cylinder made and a brand new smokebox built as well. There is also construction of a new tender tank as well. The boiler is being worked on with a new inner and outer firebox being built. It is hoped that 60532 will be back in steam by 2021.
Posted: Mar 25, 2016 @ 15:03:43 by Russell Newman
Work has now started on overhauling 60532 back to working order which could take 3 years.
Posted: Nov 5, 2014 @ 09:11:59 by Russell Newman
There been news that 60532 has been sold to the Royal Scot and General Locomotive Trust who have plans to return it to the mainline.
Posted: May 20, 2003 @ 14:05:39 by Steve Frost
 

'Blue Peter' is the sole survivor of A H Peppercorn's A2 pacifics, designed as the LNER's last top link motive power. A good looking and effective loco, it did not enter service until after nationalisation, so it is, appropriately, in BR Brunswick green. This loco survived into Scotland's Indian Summer of steam on Aberdeen - Glasgow services, and was bought by the late Geoffrey Dury on withdrawal. Stored in York depot (today's Main Hall of the National Railway Museum), it attracted interest from the children's TV programme of the same name, (The loco was named after a racehorse, as were many LNER pacifics - an appropriate naming policy) and was restored at Doncaster Works. It never worked afterwards, and was stored for a while at a colliery near Wakefield, before moving to Dinting, near Glossop. At the time it was painted in LNER colours, as it might have appeared if nationalisation had not happened.  Passing into the stewardship of the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group, it was fully restored to BR livery at Wilton on Teesside and ran many miles on the main line until disaster struck near Durham. Getting into a slip, it was allowed to continue slipping for too long, and this wrecked the motion. For a while there was a chance that it might not run again, but repairs were made at Thornaby and it ran once more on the main line, and on preserved lines until its boiler ticket expired. Presently on display in Darlington.

Posted: May 13, 2003 @ 08:05:42 by Steve Frost
Out of service in need of major boiler work in the firebox, this magnificent top performing Pacific has moved, in April 2003, to the North Road Museum in Darlington, for display. It is anticipated that it will be there for two years. This move changes its status and its location. It also relocates some of the Darlington exhibits to make room for this big loco. The really interesting thing is that it puts the Peppercorn A2 next door to the A1 Locomotive Trust's Darlington Locomotive Works, where the brand new Peppercorn A1 is under construction.