Hello. I'm Sharon Brown. I'm the curator of transport and industrial collections
at the Museum of Liverpool and I'm the content co-ordinator for the Great Port
and the Liverpool Overhead Railway galleries.
One of the centre points of the Great Port gallery is Lion locomotive, that we can see here today.
It's a very important locomotive, its got a fascinating history
and has many fans not just in the UK but around the world.
Lion was made by Todd, Kitson and Laird in Leeds
for the Liverpool Manchester railway.
The railway had opened in 1830 and had proved really successful,
so they needed more engines to work on the railway.
Lion was made along with her sister engine called Tiger.
But the most amazing thing about Lion is that she still survives today and
has had a long and very interesting history.
She ran on Liverpool Manchester railway from 1838
until about 1857 and she was taken off her duties as a luggage engine.
She was sold to Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in 1859 for £400
and they used her as a stationary pumping engine at Prince's Dock.
She worked there well into the 1920s.
We have evidence that people knew it was Lion
and knew how important she was in about 1923.
People had been looking around the dock and
discovered this old engine and realised exactly what it was.
But it wasn't until about 1927 when members of the Liverpool Engineering Society thought
'we can rescue Lion and we've got the perfect event coming up to to showcase her'.
Because in 1930 it was the centenary of the Liverpool Manchester railway
and there was a great big event planned.
She was taken away to Crewe Railway works and she was restored
The works was funded by the LMS railway.
She came back to Liverpool to star in the Liverpool Manchester railway centenary celebrations
These took place at Wavertree playground.
Lion pulled an old time train around a circular track
and was literally one of the starattractions, proved incredibly popular.
Also in the celebrations was the Pageant of Transport that took place every day and
involved a cast of thousands re-enacting various events from the history of
transport over the years. There's a fascinating catalogue that goes with it
which is also on display in the Great Port gallery.
In 1931 after the centenary celebrations Lion was put on display at Lime Street station.
Again proved a great draw to people travelling through the railway.
Stayed there for about ten years until during
the Second World War she was removed to safety.
In the meantime she'd taken up her film career. She starred in 1937 in 'Victoria the Great'.
It was only a bit part but she was to go on to bigger and better roles.
In 1951 she was part of the film 'Lady with the Lamp' about Florence Nightingale
but most importantly in 1952 she starred in the 'Titfield Thunderbolt'.
It was the first Ealing comedy to be filmed in Technicolour
and opened up Lion to an audience of film fans around the world.
Lion was used in the film and then came back to Liverpool again, went out steaming to various
events over the years and it was about 1967 when Liverpool City Museum
approached British Railways interested in Lion
The museum was opening a new transport gallery, so Lion did come on loan to the transport gallery
and was then eventually gifted to the museum.
So she's been in our care for quite a number of years.
During that time she took part in the 150th anniversary
celebrations of the Liverpool Manchester railway in 1980
and again was a fantastic draw, pulling replica coaches along the track by Rainhill.
She went out again to various events, steaming around the country and proved very popular.
In the 1980s the decision was taken by the trustees of the museum not to take Lion out any more.
They were concerned that too many parts were being replaced and that
the originality of Lion was being lost, so she was preserved in our transport gallery.
She has been on loan to Manchester Museum of Science and Industry for about eight years while
the new Museum of Liverpool was being built, again proved very popular but came back to
have lots of conservation work to be put into fantastic condition to go on display in the Great Port gallery.
Lion was conserved in the workshops of National Museums Liverpool.
As you can see, they've done a fantastic job of Lion.
They spent a number of years cleaning, painting, restoring, a dedicated team.
The final product was ready to be moved into the Museum of Liverpool.
So she was brought here on the back of a wagon, lots of people turned out on the day
to see her trundling down the road. It was a fantastic sight, a beautiful sunny day
and everyone was delighted that Lion was the first object to come in into position in the Great Port gallery.