Invicta (locomotive)

Invicta
Invicta, plinthed at Canterbury in the 1970s
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Robert Stephenson Builder Robert Stephenson and Company Build date 1829
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Coupled dia. 4 feet (1,219.2 mm) Loco weight 6 long tons 5 cwt (14,000 lb or 6.4 t) Fuel type Coal Firebox: ​  • Type Rectangular Boiler: ​  • Type Round-top  • Diameter 3.25 ft (990.6 mm)  • Tube plates 8 ft (2,438.4 mm)  • Small tubes 25 × 3 in (76.2 mm) Boiler pressure 40 lbf/in2 (275.8 kPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 39 sq ft (3.6 m2)  • Tubes 157 sq ft (14.6 m2)  • Total surface 192 sq ft (17.8 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 10 in × 18 in (254.0 mm × 457.2 mm) Valve gear Stephenson valve gear
Performance figures Power output 4 hp (3.0 kW) Tractive effort 1,275 lbf (5,670 N)
Career Operators Canterbury and Whitstable Railway First run 30 May 1830 Withdrawn 1839 Current owner Canterbury Museums & Galleries Disposition Static Display

Invicta is an early steam locomotive, built by Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne during 1829. She was the twentieth locomotive built by railway engineers the Stephensons, being constructed immediately after Rocket.^[1] Invicta marked the end of the first phase of locomotive design, which had started with Richard Trevithick's Coalbrookdale locomotive of 1802.^[2]

Invicta hauled its first train on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway on 30 May 1830, which was also the first steam-powered passenger service on the railway. Invicta remained in active service until 1839, when stationary engines were introduced to pull trains. Following a failed attempt to sell the locomotive, she was placed in storage. The stored ‘’Invicta’’ became the property of the South Eastern Railway during the 1840s, and was moved to Ashford Works, becoming the first locomotive in the world to be preserved.

Invicta was put on display and appeared at various events in the UK and abroad. She was restored in 1892, and in 1906 it was presented to the city of Canterbury by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. For 70 years, Invicta was on static display in Canterbury. In 1977, a full cosmetic restoration of the locomotive was undertaken with help from the National Railway Museum. Presently, Invicta is owned by the Transport Trust. During November 2008, it was announced that a £41,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant had been made to Canterbury City Council to develop a new museum at Whitstable to house Invicta. The extension was completed in 2019, and Invicta was lifted to its new home on 16 June 2019.^[3]