Contents
Balmforth Bros
Joseph Booth and Bros Limited
Fowler
Thomas Green and Son
Greenwood and Batley
Robert Hudson Limited
J&H Mclaren
Leeds Forge
Manning, Wardle
Matthew Murray
Murray, Fenton and Wood
Shepherd and Todd
E B Wilson and Company
Introduction.
There are many notable towns and cities whose names are synonymous with railways. Mention Doncaster and you think of the great works there, likewise Swindon. York and Crewe are noted as major junction towns on the network. Even the minor towns of Stockton and Darlington have their place in history. But mention Leeds to the majority of people and they would struggle to make any railway connection to the city. Leeds was in the heyday of railways an important centre for the meeting of lines and boasted more junctions than York and Crewe combined. The notorious George Hudson was involved with lines running into Leeds, where during the ‘railway mania’ any scheme seemed feasible. This activity was not unnoticed by that great Victorian institution, the Engineer Entrepreneur whose unfailing faith in their abilities led to the rapid growth in Leeds’s engineering might. The need for locomotives coupled with their manufacturing capability led to many companies to turn to their manufacture. As a result Leeds became a centre of locomotive production with many companies involved in the trade, some failed, some turned to other products but one, Hunslet Engine Company survives. No other city in these isles had such a concentration of builders within its boundaries, only the Scottish lowland town of Kilmarnock comes close.
The building boom in the city during the noughties has transformed the industrialised parts of the city with large areas south of the river Aire now yuppified and gentrified. It is easy to wonder these days how our wealth is created, offices full of key-tapping staff would be alien to our Victorian Engineer. To them the world was hard work enterprise and an unshakable faith in ones ability albeit tempered with poor living standard and poor life expectancy. I will leave it to others if loss of the manufacturing base is a good or bad thing; the loss of skill, camaraderie, and community spirit that existed in and around these works cannot be seen as great.
In these notes I have tried to give a potted history of the companies within the modern Leeds boundaries who produced locomotives. Many of these companies had a great engineering tradition and boasted a worldwide reputation and here I have tried to give the reader a feel for this tradition. I have also tried to give an overview of the narrow gauge prototypes that would make varied and interesting projects. I make no apology that many of these are my own personal favourites and include steam, diesel and electric locomotives as well as rolling stock There is so much more to narrow gauge modelling than, for example, plonking a Lady Anne on a rake of Brandbright panelled coaches – Get modelling!
Tony Wright
December 2009
Balmforth Bros
Peel Ings Foundry, Rodley, Leeds
Jeremiah Balmforth and David Smith set up business in Calverley in 1820 as millwrights producing machinery for the woollen industry. Jeremiah Booth joined the business in 1833 which expanded into other areas, and in 1840 hand-operated cranes were produced. Booth left the business in 1847 and set up his one crane-making business ( see Joseph Booth ). Jeremiah died in 1858 and was succeeded by his son William. David was succeeded by his son Thomas a year later. Following a fall out in 1861 Thomas bought out William, the company becoming Thomas Smith ( see Thomas Smith ). William set up the Peel Ings Foundry to manufacture quarry cranes. The use of steam power was developed leading to the production of small locomotives. On William's death his sons took over the business, which failed in 1916. Peel Ings Foundry survives and has been converted recently into apartments.
Products of 16mm interest
Three locomotives were known to have been built c1876. These were of plate frame construction with four coupled inside wheels driven by outside inclined cylinders and outside cranks and rods. A vertical boiler was placed centrally with a rectangular water tank at the front and a simple corrugated roof on pillars over the driver and controls at the other end. Two locomotives ended up working on the three foot Piel and Walney Gravel line where one was rebuilt with a Burrell traction engine boiler complete with the redundant cylinder block on the barrel. Sheffield Corporation also used one on the Langsett Resevoir construction three foot line. Although of three foot gauge they were small locomotives and their vertical boilers and conventional cylinder layout make a quirky and unusual but attractive prototypes.
Sources:
The Narrow Gauge No 51 – Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
The Narrow Gauge No 129 – Narrow Gauge Railway Society. (Good article with importantly good photos and drawings).
Vertical Boiler Locomotives and Rail motors built in Great Britain – Rowland A.S. Abbott – The Oakwood Press.
150 years of Crane Making – NEI Cranes.
Smiths Cranes – Various early sales brochures.
Joseph Booth and Bros Ltd.
Union Crane Works, Rodley, Leeds.
Joseph Booth set up the Union Crane works in 1847 having worked previously with local engineers Balmforth and Smith (see J.Balmforth). The demand for cranes by industry was such that Booths along with Smiths flourished and both built considerable works along Rodley Town Street. Booth’s works to the North of Mill Bridge cramped between the road and the Leeds Liverpool canal. In the nineteen sixties the Booths merged with Cylde Crane and later still became part of the Clarke Chapman engineering empire. This in the late seventies became the Northern Engineering Industries, both Booths and Smiths joined together and were grouped in the cranes division with other names such as Cowans Sheldon. During this period the works produced overhead cranes, oilfield equipment, crawler and lorry cranes. Railway bogies were made for Cowans rail layer trains and wheel drop sets for South African Railways.
Products of 16mm interest.
Booths were primarily a crane maker although like many such companies they were not averse to making many other products. The range of cranes they produced included many type of rail mounted cranes from simple four wheel jib crane used in a works yard to large breakdown cranes. Although the majority were standard gauge they made a number of narrow gauge cranes mostly to three foot six gauge, including one particularly impressive crane ordered by the Central Africa Railway to erect the Lower Zambezi Bridge. The cranes were either powered by steam or electricity for which Booths made their own electric motors and controllers. This led to the ‘Union’ range of battery powered locomotives and industrial trucks. The shunting locomotives were a simple wagon type four wheel chassis with a centre cab and battery boxes at either end. A nice narrow gauge type was made which was available in eighteen inch to two foot six gauge – with its clean lines would be a simple to make project. Included in the range were mines locomotives these had a rugged frame with cast buffer beams a large rectangular battery box a scuttle at one end for the driver – not pretty but workman like.
Armley Mills Industrial Museum
Shildon Museum
Sources.
A Handbook of Cranes – published by Booths in 1930.
A Handbook of Cranes Edition 32 – published by Booths in 1932.
The Locomotive 15-8-1925 – Article on locomotives supplied to Air Ministry.
Fowler
Fowler BB Ploughing engine
Fowler crane loco" Dule of York " and road loco " City of Hull"
Fowler road loco "Titan"
Fowler DCC Showman's
Great Dorset Steam Fair 2010 photos Chris Cooper
Thomas Green & Son.
Smithfield Foundry, North Street, Leeds.
Thomas Green was born and raised in Newark; coming to Leeds he founded his company in 1835 on the Lower Headrow. The company made small general engineering products but was noted for its wire products. With the business expanding larger premises were required and a site located on North Street was purchased in 1848 with building commencing in 1850. That essential Victorian requirement a London office followed being opened in 1863.
Like many Victorian engineering entrepreneurs Thomas Green turned his hand to many products but the two most associated with his company are road rollers and lawn mowers. The first lawnmower appeared in 1855, this was to a patent design which Green improved and in 1858 it won first prize at trails. By 1885 Green’s produced a Steam Tram locomotive to a Wilkinson Patent, a change to the law in 1879 had allowed the easier use of steam locomotive for tramway use. Green again saw ways to improve the patent and after making thirty nine under patent produced his own design. A total of one hundred and fifty seven were made the last in 1898, most tram systems in the UK used Green’s tram engines as well as many exported. The first roller was constructed in 1872 for the Royal Gardens in Windsor, and soon a range of rollers and convertible types were made.
The first conventional locomotive was produced in 1888, which was a 0-4-0 well tank exported to Australia. Both standard gauge and narrow gauge locomotive were made with Claro, Harrogate, Masham and Barber being the most noted (see below). Two 0-4-4 tank locomotives were supplied to the Cork and Muskerry three foot gauge line in 1892/3 as well as two 2-6-2 tanks to the West Clare line in 1900/1. A modest total of forty conventional locomotives were made, the last in 1920.
From then on Green’s focused on the roller and lawnmower products, both these products were early in the utilisation of petrol and later diesel engines as a source of power. Munitions were produced in the First World War and again in the Second World War, these being chiefly aircraft components for Blackburn Aircraft. In 1951 Blackburn took over Greens, eventually they themselves became part of the Hawker Siddeley empire. Not being a core business to Hawker it was sold to Atkinson’s of Clitheroe in 1975, the order book was transferred closing the Leeds Works down in 1976. Atkinson’s for a time continued producing the roller range but they then closed a short time later.
Today the frontage of the works in North Street survives and Thomas Green’s contribution to the city of Leeds is marked by a blue plaque. The Locomotive ‘Barber’ was placed in the Armley Mill Industrial Museum, here it lay partially restored and neglected, and since 2004 ‘Barber’ has been loaned to the South Tynedale Railway at Alston in Northumberland. It is a great shame that with Leeds’ reputation as a city of locomotive builders our own museum cannot find a home for this locomotive. Two other Green’ Locomotives exist in Australia both being narrow gauge, a handful of steam rollers and many motor rollers exist and can be seen at rallies during the summer.
Products of 16mm interest.
Greens produced four locomotives which were built for local two foot gauge lines. Harrogate Council used a line to assist in construction of a dam for water supply. The line ran from Masham Station and two 0-4-2’s were built called ‘Harrogate’ and ‘Claro’ both differing but of pleasing lines. Later ‘Masham’ was built, a 0-6-2 which again had good lines albeit spoilt by a solid looking cab side. Masham’s design was developed into ‘Barber’ for use at Harrogate gas works; this line had a very tight bore tunnel. ‘Barber’ was therefore built with a stepped footplate and cut down cab and fittings, this made ‘Barber’ unique as the only cut down locomotive I know that still looks pleasing. The whole Harrogate Gas Works line would make a good prototype to base a garden line on if industrial setting is your thing. I seem to recall that at Stoneleigh 09 a trader was showing models of the unique bogie hoppers (built by Robert Hudson q.v.) used on this line.
Sources.
Harrogate Gas Works – M. Hallow & D. Smith – Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
Lesser Railways of the Yorkshire Dales – H. Bowtell – Plateway Press.
The Light Railway Handbook – R.W.Kidner – The Oakwood Press.
Greenwood and Batley
Albion Works, Armley Road, Leeds. Potted history.
Thomas Greenwood made woollen machinery in his father business in Gildersome; gaining this experience he and his brother formed a small engineering business in 1833. This business was closed down following a family breathment; Greenwood went on to further his skills at Whitham’s in Kirkstall, Leeds. Here he was noticed by Peter Fairburn offering a position at Fairburn’s Wellington Foundry, where he met John Batley. They were taken into partnership with Fairburn where they developed a reputation for engineering excellence. Following the outbreak of the Crimean war a shortage of arms production was identified by the War Office who sent out to locate suitable engineering works. At a visit to the Wellington foundry the committee witnessed Greenwood’s design of arms machinery and soon had them installed at Woolwich Arsenal. Greenwood further enhanced the works at Woolwich and developed new methods of arms production.
In 1856 Greenwood and Batley formed their own works in East Street, Leeds, the development of arms was such that the works was soon too small and a new site was founded on Armley Road in 1859. By 1888 the works had been extended to cover 11 acres, in 1894 the steam driven machinery was replaced by an on site power station and machinery driven by electric motors. These developments formed the direction which Greenwood and Batley would take, although the company had many other departments. The Machine Tool Dept made a variety of machines, notable was thread rolling equipment for the mass production of bolts; many of these machines remain in use. The Ordnance Dept produced small arms ammunition and shell cases as well as torpedoes; apocryphal tales claim these were tested in the adjacent Leeds Liverpool canal. Sewing machines, printing presses, textile machinery and oil milling machinery were also made.
The outbreak of the Great War the work came under the munitions act and deemed to be a controller Establishment, this lead to massive increases in munitions work, a feat which was marked by a visit by the King in 1918. The Second World War also saw Greenwood and Batley again mass producing munitions. In the 1920 Greenwood and Batley produced a range of battery powered works trucks, these were produced in the thousand and are probably the way most people know of Greenwood and Batley or Greenbat as the trucks were marketed. In 1927 the first locomotive was made, a batch of five narrow gauge battery electric for use on the Mersey tunnel contract. Battery electric locomotives were seen as a suitable type for use underground particularly in gaseous mines and Greenwood and Batley were well placed to exploit this market. The locomotive Dept moved into specialist area and many types of battery and wire electric locomotives were produced, the most specialist and perhaps there most notable product was coke oven locomotives. Other specials include the Post Office railway cars now sadly mothballed.
The Greenbat name was adopted by the company in the 1960s and was absorbed by the Fairburn Lawson group, the same Fairburn they split from in 1856. The company went in to receivership in 1980 and the works closed on the 9th of May. Hunslet Engine Company took over the Locomotive business and goodwill, locomotives were still produced the last being the battery/wire electrics used on the Channel Tunnel construction. The site was sold to a property developer in 1987, the works were partially demolished, parts of the office block remain on Armley road and three of the erecting shop buildings remain now let out as multi-tenancy use.
Products of 16mm interest.
Greenbat produced 1,303 standard and narrow gauge locomotives of many designs; all were electric powered except for one diesel. They also made 65 coke ovens locomotives, the biggest builder of these in Britain. The products were designed for tough industrial use and therefore were utilitarian rather than things of beauty. They did however produce a variety of pleasing centre cab locomotives which would make a different model. They also made a number of transfer cars; these were a four wheeled or bogies flat bed wagon with a drivers cab at one end. Some like No1536 had a simple cab of four pillars supporting a roof. Where as No 6132 was a bogie vehicle with a full panel cab with doors and sliding windows, an ideal model for your P-Way gang to have.
Sources
Greenwood and Batley Locomotive 1927-1980 - A. J. Booth – The Industrial Railway Society.
Various Industrial Railway Record Journals - The Industrial Railway Society.
Various, The Narrow Gauge Journals – Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
Robert Hudson Ltd.
Gildersome Foundry, Gildersome Nr Leeds.
The Hudson family owned the Victoria Colliery in nearby Bruncliffe, Morley. Presumably from this Robert Hudson saw a market for rail and ropeway equipment to assist in the haulage of coal. He set up a works in Gildersome in 1865 and commenced making small wagons and other associated equipment. Hudson’s first patent was in 1875 for the rolling triple centre pivot, this was fitted to V-skip bodies which gave a stable upright position to the body for loading but when tipped lifted the body and gave a full ninety degree to the tip. This was further developed into Hudson signature product the RUGGA skip wagon. The success of the products required the works to be extended and in 1890 a rail connection to the works was installed from the Wakefield to Bradford Great Northern Line. By 1900 the works covered thirty one acres and was capable of producing its own steel from iron as well as having iron and steel foundries, forges and full machining facilities. Demand for light rail products in the Empire lead to Hudson’s opening a sales office and store in South Africa in 1906 and the following year an agency was opened in India followed by a works. By 1927 a manufacturing plant was established in South Africa at Durban which in turn was replaced by a large works in Durban in 1948.
Despite producing complete rail systems Hudson’s didn’t produce any locomotives in volume, In the 1920’s they dabbled with a modified Fordson tractor mounted on a four wheel chassis but lack of equal forward and reverse gearing, a major drawback. To cover this admission in 1911 they entered into an agreement with Hudswell Clarke for the design of sixteen types of standard locomotives. During the term of this agreement Hudswell’s made and supplied 188 locomotives to Hudson’s. Around 1911 Hudson also entered into an agreement to market Kerr, Stuart’s range of small locomotives; Kerr’s in turn stopped producing narrow gauge equipment, forwarding orders to Hudson’s. Seeing the advantage of internal combustion locomotive Hudson again entered into an agreement this time with the Avonside Engine Company who were early pioneers with internal combustion power. Avonside produced their first internal combustion locomotive in 1914 from this a range of five types were offered. Kerr, Stuart foundered in 1930 followed by Avonside in 1934, Hunslet Engine Company took over the goodwill of both these companies therefore it was logical for Hudson’s to throw in their lot with them. Kerr’s range of small steam locomotives were re-branded and made by Hunslet’s and a range of small diesel locomotives introduced , the first in 1937. These locomotives were made by Hunslet but carried a Hudson-Hunslet name cast into the radiator header and Hudson-Hunslet maker’s plates. The range started with a 20 h.p. for a three and a quarter ton machine and the largest a 50 h.p. seven and a half ton machine. All locomotives were visually similar with a cast radiator in front of an open sided bonnet and a waist high cab side and back sheet with one opening on the left hand side. In 1968 Hudson’s again dabbled in the production of its own locomotives and produced two experimental ‘Minitram’ a four wheel diesel hydraulic locomotives one of these went briefly to the Woodhead tunnel power cable scheme before being sold to for use at Dukinfield Sewage works. This locomotive is now preserved but not operational at the Moseley Trust.
By the 1950’s road transport was beginning to affect rail haulage used in civil engineering contracts and in 1960 a dumper truck was produced followed by other contractor’s equipment. The company was split into two with the Contractor Equipment division moving into new premises in Gildersome, The new Raletrux division struggled on re-locating in 1981 to Mill Green in Wortley, but the end came in 1984. The goodwill passed to NEI Clayton Equipment who still produces some rail contractor’s equipment.
Products of 16mm interest.
Robert Hudson’s produced a vast amount of light railway equipment but not any locomotives of note. However they did produce many types’ rolling stock items in vast numbers. The most famous has to be the ubiquitous ‘RUGGA’ V-body tipper skip wagon. These were produced in their tens of thousands and if you not seen one them you probably don’t know what narrow gauge is. If the RUGGA is for you them Binnie and Brandbright produce kits. Another mass produced wagon was the colliery tub, a simple box mounted on four wheels, not very inspiring but Hudson’s tubs were in use in most British collieries. To go with the tubs man riding cars were also built and like the tubs were used almost exclusively underground, whilst interesting they were rarely seen.
Many other wagons were made which are of interest, if your lines main traffic is mineral then four wheel and bogies hoppers may be for you. These ranged from simple hoppers on a four wheel chassis to double drop door bogie wagons with continuous brakes. Hudson’s also built the unique bogie hoppers used on the Harrogate Gas Works railway. Brake vans varied from the simple shelter with two ballast boxes to the pleasing single veranda van supplied to the Sand Hutton Railway. Four wheel and bogies open wagons were made in a variety of sizes. As were flats, cage, cane cars and my favourite tanks wagon, these ranged from a square tank on a RUGGA chassis to elliptic tanks on braked bogies. Many bogies wagons used RUGGA chassis’s fitted with pivots, why not pick up a couple of Binnie kits, chuck the bodies and make a simple flat body for something different. Alternatively I.P Engineering make a copy of type 5084 axle boxes used on many of Hudson four wheel wagons or I.P’s bogie kit is not a million miles off the arch bar bogies used on many wagons.
Sources.
General Catalogue 57 – Hudson Light Railway Materials – Sales catalogue published by Hudson in 1957.
J&H McLaren
Midland Engine Works, Jack Lane, Hunslet Leeds
John McLaren was born in 1850 at Hylton Castle near Sunderland. His parents farmed the Hylton Estate and after its sale moved to nearby Offerton hall. In 1869 David Fisken of the Fisken Company, Balm Road, Leeds, exhibited his patent steam ploughing tackle at the Royal Agricultural Show in Manchester. McLaren senior purchased one such set of tackle. This association led to John becoming employed by Raventhorpe Engineering who had taken over the manufacture of Fisken's tackle. John's younger brother, Henry, found employment at Cardwell's Dewsbury foundry. In 1876 John and Henry founded their traction engine works in Leeds. They produced a range of traction engines for ploughing, agricultural and road haulage, and road rollers. They also manufactured the implements, trailers and vans to go with them. The development of the oil or Diesel engine was embraced by McLaren who pioneered the use of the oil engine in tractors of the early 1900s. They were suppliers of engines to other locomotive manufacturers who produced early diesel powered locomotives, such as Fowler, Hudswell, Clarke and the Hunslet Engine Company. In 1943 the business was amalgamated with the Associated British Oil Engine Company which led to an expansion of the works and production was centred on diesel engine manufacture. In 1957 Hawker Siddeley took over and moved production away from Leeds, closing Mclaren's Midland Engine Works in 1957.
Products of 16mm interest
Two standard gauge locomotives are known to have been made. The first was a conventional traction engine with the smaller front wheels and the larger rear wheels replaced by similar sized disc rail wheels. The second was a traction engine boiler and cylinder mounted on a four wheeled chassis, similar to a standard wagon chassis, with drive to both axles by chains. There is a rumour that a two foot gauge type was also built.
Anyone fancy a "might have been" project??
Armley Mills Industrial Museum
Fowler BB Ploughing engine with McLaren diesel engine conversion 1930's original condition
McLaren single Agricultural engine - unrestored and working!!
McLaren Road loco " Gigantic"
McLaren DCC Showman's engine
Great Dorset Steam Fair 2010 photos Chris Cooper
Sources:
Reprint of catalogue 32, J&H McLaren published by Michael Dunkley
The History of J&H McLaren by John Pease published by Landmark
Leeds Forge Company
Castleton Fields, Armley, Leeds.
Potted history.
When the great Round Foundry which had been set up by Matthew Murray in 1843 foundered many of the out of work engineers went on to other companies eager for their skills. However, the works left behind were in their time a world leading facility, a point not missed by some. A partnership was formed becoming Smith, Beacock and Tannett, who renamed the works the Victoria Foundry and commenced the production of machine tools. In 1838 Samson Fox was born in Bradford and by the age of eight was employed in the woollen mills. In and effort to improve himself he was apprenticed at Smith, Beacock and Tannett in 1852. During his time here he learned about forging of steel. The newly invented Bessemer process was making large scale steel production possible. The forging of steel was undertaken by the use of drop hammers shaping the red-hot billet; this was and still is a highly skilled job. The size and shape of the finished forging was dependent on the forger's skill and simple gauges to size the blank, a process not conducive to mass-production.
Fox during his time at the Victoria Foundry worked as a representative and one of his clients was ship builder Scott, Sinclair in Glasgow. What deal Fox struck with Scotts is not clear but they provided the bulk of the finance which enabled him to set up the Leeds Forge. The site at Castleton Fields was bounded on the south by the Leeds and Bradford Railway and the east by the Leeds and Thirsk line. The first products were hammer-forged crank and plain axles for locomotives, many supplied to the growing works in Leeds. Having experience in forging Fox developed a rolling process to make round hollow forgings. He registered a patent in 1877 for corrugated furnaces for steam boilers. Becauise of the corrugations these furnaces were stronger and more efficient than plain fire-welded types, and perhaps, by his links with Scott’s, quickly became standard in ships boilers. These furnaces made Fox extremely wealthy in a short time and allowed a rapid expansion of the Leeds Forge. Fox turned his talents to the use of hydraulic pressing of forgings. With this process red-hot steel plate is pressed between dies in a press. The process required the making of the dies which was expensive, but the pressings were quickly produced in mass and with less skilled labour. In 1877 Fox exhibited a flanged plate railway wagon frame which was considerably lighter but stronger than the wood frame commonly used at that time. Little interest was shown in this country so Fox set up a company near Chicago which was soon producing eighty wagons a day for the U.S market.
In 1897 Everard Calthrop produced a paper on light railway construction; Calthrop advocated the use of narrower gauges to build lines which would not be viable if of standard gauge. He decreed two foot six inch gauge gave the greatest tonnage carried for the lowest cost to which this was demonstrated on the extensive Barsi Railway in India. Calthrop designed all aspects of the system including the rolling stock, He embraced Fox’s methods, using a common chassis fitted with low sides, high side or box bodies all made from steel pressings. These produced strong, light wagons which importantly could be exported flat-packed and assembled with unskilled labour. In order to publicise the benefits of the system, Calthrop built a demonstration line at Newlay in 1897. The line was substantial with 1 in 57 gradients and 200ft reverse curves and was designed show off the capabilities of the system. Kitsons supplied 0-8-4 and 4-8-4 locomotives for the line to haul the Leeds Forge rolling stock. Calthrop went on to act a consultant for many other lines but only the Leek and Manifold in this country followed his ideas slavish: the English Barsi.
In 1923 the business was sold to shipbuilder Cammell Laird who closed the works down in 1929. Fox retired to Harrogate where he continued to experiment. He invented ‘water gas’ as a substitute for coal gas but the collapse of the company and the losses by shareholders mired him in a scandal he never rcovered from. He was recently featured in BBC’s "Who do you think you are" as an ancestor of the actor Emilia Fox.
Products of 16mm interest
The distinctive pressed steel section wagons for the Barsi and Leek and Manifold railways would make distinctive models. The Fox system was used by other manufactures and appears in South African and the Americas on narrow gauge. Perhaps the most distinctive items were the transporter wagons used on the Leek and Manifold.
Sources.
Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review No 69 – Includes a comprehensive article on Calthrop and the Newlay Exhibition and includes rolling stock details and drawings.
The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway – Robert Gratton – RCL Publishing. A super book giving all aspects of the lines construction including drawing of infrastructure as well as the rolling stock.
Light Railway Construction – E R Calthrop – Plateway Press. Reprint of Calthrop treatise on his ideas.
Manning, Wardle
Boyne Engine Works, Jack Lane, Leeds.
Alexander Campbell had been the works manager at Scott, Sinclair in Glasgow but had left this post in 1856 to administer the works and affairs of E.B. Wilson and Co following on from the death of Wilson. Campbell with local vicar C.W. Wardle set up a works on the North side of Jack lane opposite the old works of E.B. Wilson. Drawing and patterns of the old Wilson’s locomotives were obtained and Manning’s first locomotives were to these earlier designs. The new venture required capital and John Manning joined the business as a partner. Manning, Wardle production centred on the smaller industrial type of locomotives and between 1859 and 1875 built up a range of standardised four and six coupled locomotives, each design given a class letter. This approach was novel at this time and gave Manning’s a considerable advantage over their competitors as standard designs could be made more quickly and economically. Manning’s even built stock locomotives on the back of an ordered standard type. The use of the standard designs were made adaptable to narrow gauges, classes B, C, D, E and K were used for many early such types. With the expanding business and Manning’s growing reputation orders for non-standard types were taken and were known not surprisingly as specials. Many specials were built for narrow gauge concerns both for use in this country as well as for export around the globe. Like other builders at this time Manning’s took on novel orders and interesting types were built during this period. Three locomotives using the Fell patent third adhesion rail system were built for use in Brazil, tram locomotives were also built as were as the power units for rail motors. With most other engineering businesses Manning’s turned to munitions during the First World War but also supplied locomotives needed by factories’ for the war effort. After the war the depression in world trade hit them hard. The novel standard designs which had been successful in the mid 1800’s were now outdated, their competitors haven taken full advantage of modern production techniques. This left Manning’s with a dwindling order book, the end came in 1927 with liquidation, the last locomotive No 2047 (now persevered) left in 1926. The goodwill and drawings passed to Kitson and Co, who also failed passing them on to Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn, who in turn passed them to Andrew Barclay and Son and then finally to Hunslet Engine Company. Hunslet’s took over part of the Boyne Engine Works, to this day the office block and the 1858 cast iron gateposts remain on Jack Lane, although as I write this (Jan 2010) they are under threat of demolition. Thankfully despite the eighty three years since closure a number of Manning Wardle locomotives remain.
Products of 16mm interest
Manning’s produced some classic locomotives of many differing designs but all with superb looks. An early offering were the unfeasibly thin 0-4-2’s for the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway, these had the Manning hallmark design feature of the crank boss in the wheel being the same shape as the balance weight. Manning’s built a couple of bizarre looking locomotives for the St Austell and Pentewan Railway; these were long wheel based low slung boilered 0-6-0’s. For same line they also built a super looking 0-6-2 called Canopus in 1901. The most famous Manning’s were the quartet built for the Lynton and Barnstaple, The first three had a curious cab extension over the safety valves, but I prefer the later ‘Lew’ built in 1925 built with the extension removed. Roundhouse many years ago produced a version of these locomotives; perhaps with the news of Accucraft producing bogie coaches from this line then may be Roundhouse will re-launch it at Stoneleigh 2010? ‘Sunbeam’ was a corker of a 0-4-0 saddle tank build for the Chatham Dockyard; many other interesting locomotives were also built for use in the dockyard. Many early two foot gauge locomotives bear an uncanny resemblance to early quarry Hunslet’s. Campbell’s son, James, became work manager at Hunslet’s maybe he took designs with him? I can imagine with so many works close together things were incestuous. ‘Chevalier’ which was on the Whipsnade zoo line until recently is a classic from Manning’s. If colonial types are your thing, then there are many types to choose from, among my favourites are No’s 1826/7, a pair of 0-4-2’s side tanks supplied to India, or No’s 1919/21 three super 0-6-2 side tanks. There are many more I could bore you with, but I will let you discover the delights of this builder.
Sources.
The Locomotives build by Manning Wardle and Co Volume 1 Narrow Gauge – Fred Harman – Century Locoprints. (This is a superb book. Get it. You will be inspired to build a Manning).
British Steam Locomotive Builders – James Lowe – Guild Publishing.
Matthew Murray; Fenton, Murray and Wood
Mill Green, Later Round Foundry, Water Lane, Holbeck, Leeds.
Murray was born in 1765 in Newcastle-upon–Tyne; little is know of his family or background but as he was schooled and served an apprenticeship in blacksmithing his family must have been well to do. In 1786 the newly married Murray moved to Darlington to work in a flax mill as a journeyman mechanic. During the doldrums in the flax trade he moved to Leeds in 1789 to work for John Marshall’s flax mill in Adel where he maintained the machinery. Murray’s training came to the fore and he modified and improved the machinery. Marshall opened a new mill in Holbeck in 1791 placing Murray in charge of the project where Murray designed and patented flax spinning machinery was installed. By the late 1700’s the Industrial revolution was beginning to take hold in Leeds and Murray saw potential in a business of general engineering. With his partner David Wood they set up a works at Mill Green, by 1797 the business’s success was so great bigger premises on Water Lane were built. Two new partners were taken on; James Fenton had been a partner of John Marshall and accountant William Lister, the firm now becoming Fenton, Murray and Wood.
The new business principally designed and made machinery for the textile industry, one such item was the steam engine being used to replace water power for turning the machinery. Murray, the technical brain of the firm wanted to improve the steam engine making them lighter, more powerful and more significantly making them easy to assemble on site. Engines at this time were made individually with no commonalty of parts or design standard, many suffered from poor and incorrect installation. In modern terms this would be like having to take your Ford Focus back to the factory to have a spark plug made to fit the hole in the engine. The number of improvements in manufacturing introduced by Murray helped to make the firm successful and brought to Murray the respect of his peers as a great Engineer. This notoriety came to the attention of John Blenkinsop of the Middleton Colliery.
The colliery had a problem in supplying the burgeoning demand for coal needed by the new mills and houses springing up in the city. A horse tramway had been built in 1758 but horse shortages caused by the Napoleonic wars was preventing increase in carrying. By 1805 Richard Trevithick had built several locomotives but they suffered from breaking the cast iron plate rails and he abandoned them. Newer iron edge rails were laid on the Middleton line in 1808 which would support a locomotives weight. Blenkinsop was unsure of the adhesive capabilities of the conventional system and patented a rack and pinion system. Murray built the locomotive to be used on the system in 1812, called ‘Salamanca’; the locomotive was a success being capable of pulling up to three times the load of a straight adhesion locomotive. Three more to the same design were built as well as locomotives for collieries in Wigan and Newcastle-upon-Tyne which was inspected by George Stephenson. Features seen in this locomotive appeared in Stephenson’s ‘Blucher’ and even appeared in the design of ‘Rocket’.
Murray went on to design and build many other steam engines, but it was the textile industry which was his main pre-occupation. In 1809 he won a gold medal from the Royal Society for a flax carding machine, which dramatically cut the cost of linen production. This gave the firm huge orders for machines which went round the globe.
Murray died in 1826; he lies in St Matthew’s graveyard in Holbeck where a cast iron obelisk made at the Round Foundry marks his place. The firm failed in 1843, no doubt missing the ingenuity Murray brought to it.
Today much of the Round Foundry remains being recently refurbished into multi occupancy use but retaining the external fabric of the buildings. The building on the corner of Water Lane and David Street has a large plaque commemorating the building of ‘Salamanca’. Part of the Middleton Railway is run on by the new Middleton Railway and parts of the track bed near to Pottery fields can be traced.
Products of 16mm interest.
Sadly none, but as a pioneer in the field of steam power his contribution cannot be underestimated. Perhaps not as well known as Trevithick or Stephenson who was influenced by Murray, his great leaps in manufacturing processes greatly advanced the developed of the steam locomotive and we should acknowledge that.
Sources.
Matthew Murray: Pioneer Engineer – Kilburn Scott.
Leeds City Archives.
Middleton Railway material.
Shepherd and Todd
The Railway Foundry, Pearson Street, Leeds.
Little is know of Charles Todd’s early life, he was apprenticed to Matthew Murray at the Round Foundry in Holbeck where he will almost certainly have been in contact with the locomotive building taking place there. He left Murray in 1837 and entered into a partnership with James Kitson (see Kitson’s entry) and started a small works in Hunslet, after two years a third partner jointed the business. For what ever reason Todd left the business and with another partner John Shepherd founded the new enterprise of Shepherd and Todd. The works was set up on the South side of Pearson Street opposite to Kitson’s and was rail connected via Kitson’s works to the North Midland Railway. (The line ran between the back-to-backs of Mill Street – I guess this was a sight for locals on locomotive delivery day). By 1840 the first order for two locomotives for the Hull and Selby Railway was dispatched. These were 6ft singles to John Grey’s design; Grey patented the first valve gear to use steam expansively. Other locomotive were built with Grey’s gear, two further singles for the York and North Midland where also built in 1840. These successes lead to further orders being fulfilled for the North Midland, Hull and Selby and the Manchester and Leeds Railway. In 1844 Todd left the partnership, he seems to have been unable to work with others and settle into a business. Todd set up a new business by himself on nearby Dewsbury Road known as the Sun Foundry where he built twenty locomotives; in 1858 he sold this business and left Leeds. In the mean time Shepherd had found a new partner and the old business was revitalised and renamed E.B. Wilson (see E.B. Wilson’s entry).
Products of 16mm interest
None known, all production was for the local standard gauge lines which were burgeoning at this time.
Sources
A Hunslet Hundred – L.T.C. Rolt – David and Charles.
British Steam Locomotive Builders – James Lowe – Guild Publishing.
E.B. Wilson and Company, (Formerly Fenton, Craven and Company).
The Railway Foundry, Pearson Street Leeds.
The partnership of Shepherd and Todd (see their entry) had dissolved in 1844 with Todd’s departure, the following year Edward Brown Wilson joined Shepherd. Wilson is described by contemporaries as a showman and uncompromising who would later be seen as impossible to work alongside his peers. Wilson’s charisma attracted James Fenton to the business; Fenton was the son of James Fenton, founder of Fenton, Murray and Jackson, (see Matthew Murray entry). Fenton would certainly have been apprenticed there and would be an accomplished engineer. Also coming from the failed Round Foundry with Fenton was John Chester Craven and David Joy. Wilson’s abrasiveness lead to a row with Shepherd and Wilson departed within a year, leaving Fenton to take over the company forming Fenton, Craven and Company in 1846. Shortly after this Shepherd left the business and Fenton made his peace with Wilson paving the way for Wilson to take over and form E.B. Wilson and Company in the same year. Craven who was as indomitable as Wilson and was unable to settle his differences left to become the Locomotive Superintendent for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. James Fenton was retained and became Works Manager, whilst the nineteen year old Joy became Drawing Office Manager.
Now Wilson was in sole charge he set about radically rebuilding the Railway Foundry which in Fenton and Cravens day employed barely one hundred and fifty people. Land adjacent to the old works was acquired and new forges and machine shops built, soon over five hundred people worked at Wilson’s, many being sucked up from the failed Round Foundry. Wilson’s showmanship and the reputation of the workforce gave Wilson notoriety within the railway world and his name was assured. In 1847 the LBSC railway gave an order to Wilson for a new express engine to be solely designed by Wilson’s, such was his reputation. The young David Joy following disagreement between Wilson and Fenton on how the design should proceed sketched out a 2-2-2 tender locomotive. The design was accepted and the ‘Jenny Lind’ was born. The design, with its high for the time boiler pressure of 120 lb/sq. in. made possible with new boiler manufacture methods, was a huge success. Over seventy were built for many different railway companies, and the design was developed into a range of locomotives with different wheel arrangements. The ‘Jenny Lind’ was a highly finished locomotive with mahogany strip lagging to the boiler and distinctive fluted casings to the dome and safety valves. The 2-2-2 and the 2-4-0 types of the ‘Jenny Lind’ became the express engine of choice for railway companies during the 1850’s and 1860’s. Other types were made including Crampton’s and tank engines for contractor works and rebuilds for railway companies who lacked their own capacity. A 0-6-0 tender freight locomotive was developed and over 160 of these were built.
Wilson was always keen to exploit business but he came into conflict with his shareholders by supplying locomotives to smaller railway companies. These had previously contracted bigger companies to provide motive power thus increasing the profitability of these companies who had the same shareholders. The influence of the shareholders restricted Wilson’s activities and severely damaged the businesses finances. Wilson’s death in 1856 resolved the issue but left the business in dire straights. Alexander Campbell was brought in by the shareholders to run the affairs off the business bringing with him his apprentice son, James. Campbell came from the shipbuilders Scott Sinclair of Greenock who had built seventeen locomotives for several Scottish railways. The dispute with Wilson and the shareholders led to action in the Chancery and following his death the shareholders were forced to close the business in 1858 despite a profit that year of £12,000. Wilson had created a modern, large and profitable centre of engineering excellence in the Railway Foundry. Many of the products made by Wilson’s were innovative and greatly advanced the progress of the rail industry; these were aided by modern manufacturing techniques. Fortunately the pool of works and machinery released by Wilson’s demise was soon absorbed by other locomotive builders. Campbell and son went on to be involved with Manning, Wardle and Hunslet Engine Company (see their entries). David Joy left in 1850 to run the Nottingham and Grantham Railway, and was later appointed Locomotive Superintendent of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway. He will be best known for his patent valve gear of 1879. Parts of the foundry site were taken over by Hudswell, Clarke and Rogers who would keep the name Railway Foundry alive.
Products of 16mm interest
None that I know of. All products were of standard gauge for the many railway companies that were burgeoning at this time.
Sources.
A Hunslet Hundred – L.T.C. Rolt – David and Charles.
British Steam Locomotive Builders – James Lowe – Guild Publishing.