Power type Steam Build date 1829 | Designer Robert Stephenson Configuration 0-4-0 | |
 | ||
Builder Robert Stephenson and Company Gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
Invicta is an early steam locomotive built by Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1829. She was the twentieth locomotive built by Stephenson, being built immediately after Rocket.
Contents
History
Invicta was built for £635 to work on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. She was named after the motto on the Flag of Kent, "Invicta", meaning undefeated. She was shipped by sea from Newcastle to Whitstable and hauled the inaugural train into Whitstable Harbour station on 30th May 1830. Contemporary illustrations show that Invicta was equipped with a single-axle tender, which has not survived. Modifications were carried out in 1835 to try to improve the efficiency of the locomotive, as she was unable to cope even on the flattest section of the line out of Whitstable, but these were not successful.
Preservation
Invicta was retired in 1836 as the stationary engines proved adequate to work the line. She was offered for sale in October 1839 but did not find a buyer and Invicta was put under cover. She came into the ownership of the South Eastern Railway and was exhibited at the Golden Jubilee of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1875 and at the Newcastle Stephenson Centenary in 1881.
Restoration started in 1892 and for many years Invicta was displayed in the Dane John Gardens, Canterbury. It wasn't until 1977 that a full restoration was undertaken, with help from the National Railway Museum. Invicta returned to Canterbury in time for the 150th anniversary of the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway on 3 May 1980.
Invicta is currently on display at Canterbury Heritage Museum, cosmetically restored. In November 2008, it was announced that a £41,000 Heritage Lottery Fund planning grant had been made to Canterbury City Council to develop a new museum at Whitstable to house Invicta and a stationary winding engine built at Robert Stephenson's works. As of 2014, this had not been started.