Visitors to this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show, held in the City of London last Saturday, 8th November, experienced the unusual spectacle of a steam engine parading around the streets of the city.

London, Brighton & South Coast Railway ‘Terrier’ class 0-6-0T No. 72 Fenchurch, formed part of the parade, being transported on a special low-load vehicle provided by Railway Support Services (RSS).

The Show attracted huge crowds, who were treated to the sight of 7,000 participants taking part in a three-mile-long parade of exhibits, floats, horses, musicians and vehicles. Fenchurch was loaned for the event by the Bluebell Railway and was collected and transported to the show by Railway Support Services, which returned Fenchurch to the Bluebell Railway immediately after the event.

Fenchurch was chosen to star in the parade because the new Lord Mayor of London, Dame Susan Langley, DBE, specifically asked for the locomotive to be included in the show. In 2018, she was an Alderman for Aldgate Ward, which is bordered by the east end of Fenchurch. The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway named many of its locomotives after places that the company served.

It is now nearly three years since Fenchurch returned to service after its last major overhaul.

In September, Railway Support Services assisted the Severn Valley Railway in recovering a carriage, which had overrun sidings at Kidderminster, lifted off its bogie, and ended on a buffer stop.

“This was certainly one of the more unusual, and certainly the most public, tasks we have ever been called on to undertake. The route is quite winding and narrow in places, so we spent a day making sure we could actually take it around some of the bends. But on the day, everything went well and the public clearly enjoyed the spectacle of a steam engine running round the City streets! This was a really outstanding way to welcome the new Lady Mayor.
We were delighted to be asked to attend, especially since she appears to have an interest in railways, having specifically requested a steam locomotive. The crowds were incredible, and the way the people were pointing to the locomotive it was clearly a compelling feature of the procession! This was quite a challenging task as the movement was all organised within two weeks.
I am very appreciative of Michael Bailey, City of London Engineer and James Vernon at TfL Bridges and Structures for ensuring the necessary approvals, as well as the Bluebell Railway for asking us to transport Fenchurch for this very special occasion.

Andrew Goodman, RSS Managing Director