Locomotive proposals, 1862
This sub page deals with those manufacturers who expressed an interest in building the line's first steam locomotives.
On 10 October 1862 & 17 October 1862, advertisements were placed in The Engineer regarding the supply of locomotives for the intended conversion to steam power. Replies were received from the following. The notes are taken from online sources, the magisterial "British Steam Locomotive Builders" by James W. Lowe, and P.J.G. Ransom's "Narrow Gauge Steam".
Hawthorns and Company, Leith[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
The works at Leith were built or acquired in 1846 by the Newcastle firm of R and W Hawthorn Ltd. to assemble locomotives for Scotland. Complete locomotives were built from 1847. With the opening of the rail link to England in 1850, the plant was sold to Hawthorns & Co, who built a 2ft 8ins gauge 0-4-0WT in 1862 for Levenseat Limeworks. Hawthorns continued to build locomotives until closure in 1872.
John W. Marsden, Union Foundry, Caernarvon[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
(note - the alternate reference gives a date of 29 October 1862)
Quoted for three locos for the Festiniog Railway
The Union Works, established in 1840 by Mr Owen Thomas, who was joined by JP de Winton in the early 1860s, should perhaps be distinguished from the Union Foundry.
Fletcher Jennings & Co, Whitehaven[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
The Lowca Works, Whitehaven, originated in the 18th century, making guns and general hardware, later stationary engines and other machinery. It was taken over by Tulk & Ley in 1830 and in 1840 they began locomotive building. Among other types they produced some of T. R. Crampton's express engines with large single driving wheels behind the firebox, the idea being to keep the boiler, and hence the centre of gravity, low. In 1857, the works was taken over by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. The first narrow gauge locomotive was a 2ft 8ins gauge 0-4-0ST built in 1862 for the Aberdare Iron Co. In 1865 they built Talyllyn for the Talyllyn Railway, as an 0-4-0ST, but due to its long rear overhang it was not a steady runner and had to be rebuilt with a trailing axle, making it 0-4-2ST, which was much more steady but did not have all its weight available for adhesion. H.E. Fletcher, the manager of the firm, patented a design of 0-4-0 in which the rear axle was placed behind the firebox, but the valve gear was driven from eccentrics on the leading axle. This eliminated the long overhang and kept all weight on the driven axles. This was supplied to the TR in 1866 as Dolgoch. In 1884, after Mr Fletcher's death, the company's name was changed to Lowca Engineering Ltd and in 1905 to New Lowca Engineering Ltd. 245 locomotives was the total output at the Lowca Works under all owners.
Source - Kyle, Ian. Steam from Lowca. Published by author, 1974.
Isaac W. Boulton, Ashton-under-Lyne[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
Boulton was a dealer and extensive rebuilder of old main line locomotives for industrial use and he also built some, commencing in 1856. Boulton probably built the very first 2ft gauge steam locomotive, in 1861 for a local colliery. It used parts from a standard gauge locomotive and was an outside framed 0-4-0ST with geared drive. Like others of Boulton's locomotives, it was subsequently altered for use elsewhere. Another 2ft gauge locomotive was built at about the same time but in true Boulton fashion, its vital parts quickly became a launch engine for the Prince of Wales.
W. Butlin[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
Nothing known.
J. Harris, Albert Hill Foundry, Darlington[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
Built about twelve standard gauge locomotives between 1863-9. These were probably all industrial 0-4-0STs.
Brown & May, North Wiltshire Foundry, Devizes[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
Founded 1854 and built traction engines, road locomotives and portable engines. Two geared locomotives with vertical boilers were built for Brotherhood of Chippenham. Quoted to supply locomotives to Severn & Wye Railway. Works closed in 1912.
Bellis & Seekings, Broad Street, Birmingham[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
In 1866 supplied 2ft 8ins 0-4-2WT Primus to Pike Bros of Poole and in 1874 0-6-0WT Secundus was supplied to the same customer. This has been preserved in Birmingham City Museum since 1955 partly through the effort of the Birmingham Locomotive Club. It has now moved to the clay mining museum at Norden, in Purbeck, very near the Pike Bros site.
Slaughter, Gruning & Co., Bristol[edit]
Recvd 11 October 1862
Founded by Henry Stothert in 1837. In 1841 he was joined by Edward Slaughter and the firm became Stothert & Slaughter & Co. First supplied locomotives to the broad gauge GWR. Stothert left to become involved in shipbuilding from 1851 while in 1856, Gruning joined and the firm became Slaughter Grunning & Co. Slaughter appears to have invented with Caillet control springs to provide side play on the leading and trailing axles of an 0-8-0T. The firm became the Avonside Engine Company in 1866.
In the 1870s, the firm was involved with Fairlie patent locomotives and in particular the 0-4-4-0T James Spooner for the Festiniog Railway (builders numbers 929/930) in 1872.
In 1934 the firm went into liquidation, having built nearly 2000 locomotives. The goodwill was acquired by Hunslet.
Haigh Foundry, Wigan[edit]
Recvd 13 October 1862
Established late 18th century as separate forge and iron smelting works. Foundry added before 1810 and first loco in Lancs built here 1812 for John Clarke's collieries in Winstanley and Orrell. Two more locos built by end of 1816. About 100 locomotives constructed between 1835 and 1856 and an unspecified number after that date. The works remained unconnected to a railway until 1860 and that railway had to be completely re-routed only a few years later. Locos were supplied to England, Ireland and France. The foundry also made beam engines up to 100" bore by 14ft stroke (now that's what you call a cylinder) and the massive iron swing bridges at Albert Dock and Hull Docks. These still exist as does much of the Haigh Foundry site and some of the buildings, even though HF closed in 1885! All three bridges along the works railway trackbed also still exist.
J. Campbell Evans, Morden Iron Works, East Greenwich[edit]
Recvd 13 October 1862
No evidence of any locomotive manufacture.
W. Syrett, Bury St. Edmonds[edit]
Recvd 13 October 1862
Nothing known.
Adamson, Daniel & Co. Newton Moor Iron Works, Hyde, Manchester[edit]
Recvd 13 October 1862
Boiler manufacture was the main activity and Adamson was an early advocate of steel for construction. Boilers with steel fireboxes were supplied to the Maryport & Carlisle Railway in about 1862. Locomotives were built from 1866 with four narrow gauge 0-4-0Ts supplied to the Oakeley Slate Quarries in 1885-1890. This firm was later to supply the new boiler for Prince which was ordered in 1943, delivered in 1945 but not fitted until 1955. One could make a case that this single object made possible the revival of the FR.
W. G. Armstrong[edit]
Recvd 13 October 1862
Founded by (later Sir) William George Armstrong, 1810-1900, and based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. About 50 locomotives were built between 1860 and 1864, with one 2-4-0 for India being exhibited at the 1862 Great Exhibition. The company's main era of locomotive building dates from 1919 to 1937.
James Swan, Worcester[edit]
Recvd 13 October 1862
Nothing known.
Wm. Cafferata, Newark[edit]
Recvd 16 October 1862
In early 1862 William Cafferata took over the Newark Plaster Company, and under the Cafferata & Co name developed the company's activities of gypsum mining and quarrying, plaster and brick manufacture and boilermaking, both for sale and for their own use. They are not known to have ever built any locomotives, and following an accident in 1866 to a Cafferata boiler leading to damages against the company they restricted boiler work to their own enterprises. The brick and plaster business seems to have carried on at least to 1972. See the company history here and here.
Blaylock & Pratchitt, Denton Iron Works, Denton Holmes, Carlisle[edit]
Recvd 18 October 1862
Founded by William Pratchitt & John Blaylock in 1859. Manufactured portable engines, but doubtful if manufactured any locomotives.
Thos. Dunn & Co., Manchester[edit]
Recvd 18 October 1862
Nothing known.
Geo. Law, Newark[edit]
Recvd 20 October 1862
Nothing known.
Geo. Skelton[edit]
Recvd 20 October 1862
Nothing known.
Beyer Peacock & Co., Manchester[edit]
Recvd 20 October 1862
Founded in 1854 by Charles F Beyer and Richard Peacock, with the first locomotive built in 1855. No locomotives of less than 3ft gauge were built until the 1880s.
Charles Frederick Beyer (1813-76) was a German-born engineer who had trained in England and worked for Sharp Roberts & Company, Manchester. Richard Peacock (1820-89), had been locomotive superintendent of the Manchester & Sheffield Railway and knew Beyer through buying some Sharp Bros. engines for his line and also through the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which they both helped found in 1847. The third partner, Henry Robertson (1816 - 1888) was born at Banff and was a civil engineer with experience in railway work. Although he joined Beyer and Peacock to provide capital, he wasn't a sleeping partner, giving advice on many occasions and even securing work orders.
Until its closure in 1966 nearly 8,000 railway locomotives were built at Gorton Foundry, with K1 being the most connected to the FR.
(liberally adapted from an online history) For more information see this from the European Railway Webring
Thomas Worsdell, Berkeley Street, Birmingham[edit]
Recvd 20 October 1862
It is thought that firm was more likely to have been an agent, but as manufacturer of cranes and steam rollers, locomotive building was possible. According to the records of the Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales Railway, the firm supplied a locomotive to it. At some time known as Worsdell & Evans.
Vulcan Foundry, Ayr[edit]
Recvd 21 October 1862
Nothing known.
Vulcan Foundry, Warrington[edit]
Recvd 21 October 1862
see main entry at Vulcan Foundry
H. M. Lawrence, Liverpool[edit]
Recvd 23 October 1862
Nothing known.
Close Burlinson & Co., Sunderland[edit]
Recvd 23 October 1862
Nothing known.
Carrett Marshall & Co., Sun Foundry, Dewsbury Road, Leeds[edit]
Recvd 23 October 1862
In 1858 this firm took over from Charles Todd who, after leaving Shepherd & Todd, had set up his own factory. Mr Carrett had left E. B. Wilson & Company to join Marshall as a partner. Carrett Marshall & Company may have built a few locomotives but little is known about this side of their activities. They were mainly known for their remarkable steam driven road vehicles. Many engineering articles were manufactured including water pumps and tanks. One locomotive is reported to have been built in 1860 for the Natal Railway and named Natal, and others for the Kendal & Windermere Railway.
Brian Johnson, Chester[edit]
Recvd 28 October 1862
Firm quoted for two Festiniog Railway locomotives on 29 October 1862 and again for three locomotives on 1 November. Apparently there is no evidence that any actual locomotive building took place.
Manning Wardle & Co., Leeds[edit]
Recvd 7 November 1862
Manning Wardle & Co was established at the Boyne Engine Works, Leeds in 1858 by Alexander Campbell and C.W. Wardle. The first locomotive was a small 3 ft gauge 0-4-0ST for Dunston & Barlow Ltd, Sheepbridge followed by two 5' 6" gauge 2-4-0WTs for the Royal Portuguese Railway, all in 1859.
Significant numbers of narrow gauge locomotives were built including two 0-4-2ST locomotives for the Festiniog And Blaenau Railway in 1868. Manning Wardle also built four 2-6-2Ts for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway to the design used for the Lyd project.
Many contractors both in the UK and abroad were furnished with 0-4-0STs and 0-6-0STs; these types dominated during the firm's existence - the former with outside cylinders and the latter with inside cylinders. By 1900 over 1500 locomotives had been built. Following WW1 Manning Wardle suffered trading difficulties. In 1927 they went into voluntary liquidation. The goodwill of the company was bought by Kitson & Co, a near neighbour, and the Hunslet Engine Co, its friendly rival, acquired part of the Boyne Engine Works.