THE INDUSTRIAL RAILWAY RECORD

No. 23 - p29-32

© FEBRUARY 1969

 

BAGNALL ARTICULATED LOCOMOTIVES

    Further to the letter from Mr. Rickwood on page 266 of RECORD 19, UMHLATUZI (Bagnall 3014) had arrived at the Sezala estate of Reynolds Bros Ltd by October 1968. Bagnall 2545 was still going strong at Renishaw (Crookes Brothers Ltd) where it is the only steam loco fitted with radio control and the only steam loco allowed to work down to the SAR main line.

BARNSLEY, YORKS. W. J. SAWYER

AMALGAMATED ROADSTONE

On page 279 of RECORD 20, reference is made to the Koppel loco at Penlee, and it is stated that the works number, 73, is unlikely to be correct. Why is this? I understand that Koppel built very few locomotives before 1900, so the works number quoted may well be correct.

’sGRAVENHAGE, HOLLAND. Prof. Dr. Ir. A. D. DE PATER

    (Did Arthur Koppel ever build locos? Or did he only supply them (see RECORD 19, page 259)? Is it significant that Slezak’s "The Locomotive Works of Europe" makes no mention of Arthur Koppel in a list of German builders which runs to four pages? Such locos carrying Arthur Koppel plates on the cabsides that we have been able to examine in detail have occasionally yielded the true builder’s plate on the firebox back plate, or the motion has been stamped with a number subsequently traced to another builder’s list - e.g. Jung, Orenstein & Koppel, etc. Slezak states that Orenstein & Koppel started building locos in 1898, so presumably PENLEE could have been Orenstein & Koppel 73. Has anyone had access to O & K’s records? It would be pleasant to settle this uncertainty once and for all - Hon. Eds.)

 

GUINNESS BREWERY TRAMWAYS

    I was interested to see this article in RECORD 22. You may wish to know that broad gauge No. 3 (Hudswell Clarke 1152 of 1919), after being presented by Guinness to the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland in 1965, was transported to Belfast. Here the wheels were turned from tramway to railway profile in the York Road shops of the Ulster Transport Authority. It has since been repainted in the same blue livery, had additional "GUINNESS" plates affixed to each side of the saddle tank and had the skirting over the wheels removed. It is normally kept in the RPSI depot at Whitehead, County Antrim, and is in full working order. On 23rd March 1968 it was used to haul a train of brake vans and open wagons on a tour of the remaining Belfast dock lines on the Antrim side of the Lagan.

HARROW, MIDDLESEX. L. KING.

CONTRACTORS’ LOCOMOTIVES IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT

    I am able to help with some additional information on CALIFORNIA which was illustrated on page 299 of RECORD 12. Incidentally the caption should read that the locomotive was subsequently name GODSHILL, the name CALIFORNIA probably being painted on for photographic purposes only.

    In Kerr Stuart’s records two Stoke order numbers (1148 and 1352) are quoted against CALIFORNIA. No drawings appear to have been made to Order 1148 which apparently is an Order number of Hartley, Arnoux & Fanning (Kerr Stuart’s predecessors) and I think it may have been raised for the purchase of the loco. Order 1148 can be dated by reference to two other orders (not connected with CALIFORNIA) for which the first drawings are recorded as 16th December 1890 (Order 1120) and 17th March 1891 (1157).

    All the rebuilding work was apparently done under Order 1352. The first drawing, dated 18th October 1893, is of the Leading and Trailing Axleboxes; the last, showing the Dome Cover, is dated 12th July 1894. Other drawings were made of the smokebox, chimney, frame, reversing lever, wrought iron sliding firedoor, crank axlebox, etc. A Kerr Stuart London Office Order number (733) is quoted in the Locomotive Register under date of 23rd November 1895, and this might be to cover the sale of the loco to Westwood & Company.

    The dimensions recorded on the General Arrangement drawing prepared by Kerr Stuart are as under :-

Cylinders 14in x 18in Wheelbase 5ft 4½in + 5ft 10in
Wheels 3ft 3in Tractive Effort 9,046 lbs
Tank 660 galls Tubes 124 x in outside dia.
Fuel 40 cu ft. Heating Surface 468 sq ft. (tubes)
Grate Area 10¼ sq ft.         "          " 58 sq ft. (firebox)

 

HEADINGLEY, LEEDS 6. G. HORSMAN

LIGHT RAILWAYS LTD

    Can any readers add to my knowledge of Light Railways Limited, of 3 London Wall, E.C.2.? I have encountered this firm during research into Baguley steam locomotives, and as more than half of these were built for, or sold by, Light Railways Limited (hereinafter LRL), the need for this information is at once evident.

    This much I do know: LRL was set up by John Birch & Company in November 1916 with the object of co-ordinating the sales of British light railway equipment overseas. A parallel is to be found in the ill-fated Agricultural & General Engineers group which destroyed Burrells of Thetford through imprudent practice. LRL would appear to have sought orders abroad and commissioned standard lines of equipment from home producers, and it would seem that Baguley’s standard range of locomotives (the term is relative) arose from an order. The LRL Baguley locomotives were known as the "Flanders Type", and to date I know of three that were named FLANDERS for their official works photographs. One of these carried at least one other name for a second works photograph! LRL are not overlooked in the Railway Press of the period, but I regard these articles with suspicion. One included a photograph of FLANDERS, but it is none of the real locomotives named FLANDERS; instead a photograph of a smaller Baguley has been retouched - very crudely - to include a nameplate. Baguley never fitted nameplates, so I know this is a fake even without detecting the crude alteration. Moreover, it is claimed that this locomotive was built by William Beardmore Ltd. Now I know that Beardmore’s were very active in the locomotive field at that time (early 1920’s), but do not believe that they ever built exact copies of Baguley locomotives. Nevertheless, did they build light railway equipment in addition to main-line steam and diesel locomotives?

    The great game of pretending to have factories of your own which were in reality somebody else’s is another pitfall in railway literature of the period. Worst offenders were the Drewry Car Company, whose "works at Burton on Trent" was of course Baguley’s Shobnall Road establishment at Burton. They also provided the classic example of misinformation in their press handout for the Wembley Exhibition in 1924. The locomotive on display was an 040 petrol (774 of 1919) which I now own. This had been "beautified" - disguised is perhaps a better word - and bore false works plates with a more recent date of construction. The text described 774 quite accurately but was illustrated with a drawing of the transmission and a photograph. The former was the transmission of the big standard gauge locomotive (800 of 1920) described in RECORD 15, and therefore quite different from that of 774. The photograph was of No.794, a 2ft 6in gauge locomotive built in 1920 to the order of a rival firm - Francis Theakston Ltd - for the United Seraing Rubber Plantations in Sumatra!

    I would like to hear of any photographs of steam locomotives built by Baguley and sold by them, by LRL, or perhaps by Drewry (you never know); particularly photographs of the smaller types. I am listing the different names used for works photographs, with a view to identifying the locomotives concerned. This is not easy as the works plates are usually illegible, but it is often possible to identify a locomotive from the works photograph of a "different" one. Also, any information on the disposal and subsequent career of LRL locomotives will be most welcome.

KENILWORTH, WARWICKS. C. R. WEAVER

AN ELUSIVE WELSHMAN

    With reference to Mr Russell’s letter on page 227 of RECORD 18, I was interested in the mention of Dick Kerr. During the later 1940’s I went several times to Carway Colliery in the Gwendraeth Valley to photograph the Dick Kerr 060 side tank there. Although unsuccessful, I did find a "gaffer" who said he brought the loco from Hackney Wick after the First War. The Dick Kerr 060 side tank at Stanton Ironworks would seem to be a sister loco, and I’ve often wondered if any more of this type were built. Incidentally, if any reader did manage to photograph the Carway loco I should very much like to have a copy.

LOUGHTON, ESSEX. FRANK JONES

    (Colin Pealling points out that we erred in our interpretation of "N.E." as in December 1915 the LNE Rly did not exist. Of the three stations in Hackney, Hackney Wick was served by the Great Northern Rly, Hackney Downs by the Great Eastern Rly, and Hackney by the North London Rly. The "N.E." referred to the postal district as by this date London was already split up by compass points although not in the present involved way. Colin says he should know as he was born in the Parish of Hackney! - Hon Eds.)


 

"Yesterday an inquest was held on the body of John Russon, locomotive man in the employ of the Newport Iron Works. On Sunday morning, deceased lost control of his engine which, without a tender, ran backwards against a spout from which trucks are filled from the blast furnaces.

(‘Bristol Evening News’. 2nd January 1878. - C.G.D.)