Last updated at 11:58, Tuesday, 15 January 2013

A GOOD home is being sought for bright red life-size theatrical locomotive.

ALL YOURS: The search is on for a new home for a steam loco stage prop from The Railway Children

It answers to the name of Gordon and would suit a railway enthusiast fed up with toy trains – but only one with a large house.

Gordon has starred at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick in 64 performances of The Railway Children and has earned a round of applause many times as he has advanced downstage from a tunnel.

A spokesman for the theatre said: “Gordon has been a huge hit with our audiences.

“We have come to love Gordon and it would be a disaster if he found his way into a skip.

“So we are willing to donate him to anyone who would like him.

“His ideal home would be in a museum or at a railway preservation society.

“But he needs to be under cover – he’s made of wood rather than iron.”

Gordon is the largest prop ever made for a production at Theatre by the Lake and was the work of Martin Johns, the theatre’s resident designer.

The locomotive’s design is based on a tank engine named Lindsay, built for the Wigan Coal and Iron Company and now based at Carnforth.

Gordon has full size wheels and coupling rods but ran on stage on castors.

It was pushed by a stage crew members who stood where the footplate ought to be and could see nothing.

He shoved until the loco was stopped in its tracks by a small plastic bar.

Anyone interested in giving Gordon a home can contact Andrew Lindsay by email at andrew.lindsay@theatrebythelake.com or on 017687 72282.

First published at 11:53, Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk