60532 ‘Blue Peter’ is an LNER A2, Arthur Peppercorn’s first pacific design for the London and North Eastern Railway, outshopped in 1948. A smaller forerunner to the Peppercorn A1s, she was based in York, Aberdeen and Dundee, working alongside her Thompson and Gresley predecessors on express passenger and goods services for sixteen years. She was finally withdrawn in 1966 with her future left uncertain, when preservation pioneer Geoff Drury purchased her, becoming the only Peppercorn pacific to be saved from scrap.

Following a restoration appeal led by a certain BBC children’s series, ‘Blue Peter’ was placed on display at Dinting Railway Centre, but saw little use. The North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (which also owned the solesurviving Peppercorn K1 62005) negotiated a longterm loan agreement in 1986, returning the engine to steam in 1991. For the next ten years, she operated on a wide spectrum of mainline routes, as well as seeing service on her preservation home on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. In 2002, the locomotive’s boiler ticket expired and her fate was resigned to static display in Darlington Railway Museum and Barrow Hill Roundhouse. With the limelight now taken up by a brandnew bigger Peppercorn A1, many wondered if ‘Blue Peter’ would ever see the mainline again.

However, in 2014 it was announced that the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust had purchased 60532 and moved her to their base in Crewe for restoration. The overhaul included a full strip down of the engine, as well as the casting of a brandnew middle cylinder after the original was found to be beyond repair. Work was thorough and intensive but in early 2024, ‘Blue Peter’ steamed again for the first time in over twenty years, wearing the striking BR Express Passenger Blue livery. Whilst not strictly historically accurate, how could you resist when the colour blue is in her name?! After light and loaded test runs were successfully completed at the Severn Valley Railway in Spring, all ears were eagerly awaiting the announcement of ‘Blue Peter’s mainline comeback!

The news broke that on Saturday 13th July, 60532 would take charge of a private charter for the staff, volunteers and benefactors who overhauled her. This would be the locomotive’s first mainline charter since 2001. Starting with a rededication ceremony at London Kings Cross, the train would head north at 14:06, running up the East Coast Main Line to York. For railway enthusiasts, this was a day to rejoice and celebrate the return of a muchmissed locomotive and for younger fans, who have never seen the engine in service during its last ticket, this was the chance to discover the sights, sounds and smells of an A2 in full flight.

My initial plan was to cover the charter at Sandy, Newark Northgate, Doncaster and York. However, disruption and cancellations by LNER and Thameslink forced me to forego my first two locations. Therefore, our footage starts at Doncaster, the birthplace of many LNER thoroughbreds, including ‘Blue Peter’. After being sidelined to allow a laterunning Azuma unit through, we see 60532 gathering speed on the down fast line, viewed from high above the station. A quick dash north sees us catch up with the train at York, where 60532 departs with the empty stock for Skelton Junction, featuring a peep on the teapot whistle and a bellow from her chime!

I hope you all enjoy the video. It was incredible to see ‘Blue Peter’ in steam for the first time, even if the grizzly weather and tight crowd control made filming tricky. Huge thanks to everybody who put in their money, time and effort to get this magnificent engine back in traffic. Check out our official Instagram page at   / secondvalvesteam   for unique updates, images and behindthescenes info. What are you waiting for? Feel free to comment and subscribe!