North Star (replica)

A non-working replica built at Swindon Works in 1925, incorporating parts of the original 1837 broad gauge North Star that had been quietly put aside when the engine was broken up. The reconstruction represents her as she was in 1837 rather than in her later rebuilt form.

She appeared at the Stockton and Darlington Railway centenary celebrations in 1925 and travelled to the United States in 1927, alongside the then brand-new 6000 King George V, for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad centenary. For many years she stood on a raised plinth in the erecting shop at Swindon Works before moving to STEAM, the Museum of the Great Western Railway, where she is displayed today.

Location and status last confirmed STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway, August 2026. Subject to verification.

The original North Star was built by Robert Stephenson for Brunel and hauled the first passenger train on the Great Western Railway in 1838. It was withdrawn in 1871, kept at Swindon Works until 1906 and then dismantled. This replica was built at Swindon in 1925 for the railway centenary, using parts of the original still lying about the works. It was never built to run.

No owner or livery is recorded here; the source consulted gives the location and status but not those details.