Gordon is an engine I have a soft spot for, as my mother was raised in Liss, which is where the Longmoor Military Railway terminated. admittedly, she was born after the railway closed, but still. There were attempts to preserve a section of the LMR, but local opposition meant that it never got off the ground. Some of the engines currently in the Engine House have been there since it opened (from memory I think they're Gordon, no. 47383 and no. 80079, maybe even 48773), the others have come in over time. It is a useful place to store locos that are so far down the overhaul queue they might not run again. Some engines which were initially in there have been overhauled as well. For instance, GWR 15xx no.1501 was in the museum when it first opened in 2008 before being overhauled and restored to traffic; she's currently under overhaul, her boiler ticket having expired in January 2023. I imagine you read all the various stories of the engines, but my favourite is probably 48773 hitting a camel! She was also stationed on the Longmoor Military Railway for some time after WW2, before being sold to BR. She was then mistaken for a WD 2-8-0 and given the number 90733, before the mistake was rectified and she was assigned 48773. Funnily enough, that number would be given to the one surviving WD 2-8-0, which had never even worked in the UK before preservation!
Thanks for your comment. The first time I entered the Engine House I was overwhelmed with how much stock they had. I adored the tank engines and the Ivatt Class, but Gordon was probably the most impressive one there. It's a shame the railway wasn't preserved, but there seems to be growing hope for the future with Steam and preservation having a strong resurgence. I tried to read as much as possible, but that story was really interesting. I think I somewhat remember reading a little about it.
