Stratford’s Robert the steam locomotive gains a clean-up after becoming an eyesore
Robert the locomotive outside Stratford station has gained a welcome spruce up after becoming a bit of an eyesore following years of neglect.
Earlier this summer I covered the sad state of the train, which is one of the first things people see upon leaving Stratford station.
After showing the state of the thing, photos were spread far and wide. A few accounts used it to show how terrible London now is. You know the type.
In some ways it does show how bad things can get given how prominent it was, but now it’s been cleaned up will those same accounts show that? I doubt it.
Anyway, in the bright summer sun it’s been looking great. I intended to post this a while back but forgot until passing through Stratford again.
The above photos were taken weeks ago. I did take some more recently but it was the evening and someone was taking a slash against it, so not the best.
History
As covered back in June the locomotive is coming up to 100 years old having been built in 1933.
Amusingly in some respects given Stratford railway history, “Robert” has very little in common with the area.
It started out at Staveley Coal and Iron Limited’s Lamport Calcine Sidings in Northamptonshire where it resided until 1969 before a short lived spell in London then it was onto Buckinghamshire.
It’s travelling days were not done as it then moved to Kew Bridge. Finally it was onto Beckton under the ownership of the London Docklands Development Corporation who were in charge of much of east London in the 1980s.
They were abolished so it went to Newham Council who thought what do we do with this? In 1999 they shipped it to Stratford where it’s been since save for a time during works on the 2012 Olympics when it moved to Colchester.
By 2011 it was back and its stayed ever since. And now it’s looking all shiny and lovely once again. God bless you Robert.
A shame the JWs are standing by it!
This is good news i like the steam locomotive. To me the locomotive is a part of Statford and a part of the Countries heritage and must remain for future generations.
The train may have been given a makeover but why hasn’t it actually been completely recommissioned to be used again on a Railway as an Actual Steam Train as that would be a much better idea!
I know these things cost a lot to actually do that and the Boiler on the train is probably the biggest Cost and the most to maintain but it would give the Train an identity once again plus it would be wonderful to see and hear the Old Boy in action again with all the toots and whistles and that sound that all Steam trains have when they move
Good to see Robert the steam locomotive having some TLC and a good clean up. But has it been the victim of being vandalized with graffiti sprayed onto the locomotive.
As Robert the steam locomotive has had a clean-up after it became an eyesore. I think that it should be moved to another location near to Stratford station or to be moved inside the station.