Delivery of Locomotives Produced by Private Contractors

Just another one of those middle of the night musings...

I know for instance that Armstrong Whitworth produced some 66xx's and panniers for the GWR in the 20's/30's, plus some of the 94xx were built for BR(W) in Sheffield?

In such cases how were the completed locomotives delivered to the ordering companies, I have never seen photographs of convoys being towed or anything like that, now in the case of the AW produced Black Fives I imagine it was a fairly simple case of running then along the Tyne Valley from Elswick to Carlisle and onto LMS metals there, less easy with a tank engine?

Any answers gratefully received? Ta

 

Generally, they were delivered to the customer in groups of three. If this meant going over a different company's lines, it was usual to pick the shortest route to the customer's railway to reduce the costs. The locos would have their connecting rods off and these would be carried in a separate open wagon.

The Irwell 'Books of...' include photos of Black Fives delivered from AW this way.

 

Similarly; how were the four pannier tanks delivered to Perth to work the Dornoch branch?

 

Four? Only two went to Scotland, 1646 and 1649.

 

Thanks for that, I was told / read somewhere previously that four went, but you are right.
"GWR Class 1600 0-6-0 Pannier Tank ... In the Mid 1950s, locos 1646 and 1649 were transferred to Scotland to work the Dornock Branch Line."

But how did they get there please; by inter regional freight perhaps?

 

The railways were common carriers and almost the only means of moving goods over a long distance. If it was a small loco, it might go on a well wagon, even if it was out of gauge. Out of gauge loads were almost routine at one time. If a locomotive was destined for a railway company it would usually be consigned 'free on rail' from that company's nearest depot and this may not necessarily mean the shortest route. Locomotives built by the likes of Hunslet would sometimes go in steam with a crew provided by the company over which it was travelling and a minder from the manufacturer but this would usually only involve short distances. It was more usual to send them in a freight with the rods removed and just a minder.

 

I understand and fare more amusingly that sometimes contractors locos were moved to sites that were not (yet) rail connected by driving them along the road A'la Titfield Thunderbolt

 

Locos for the Waterford and Tramore railway (which was never connected to the main system)were driven along the road,thorough the City with rails removed behind and added in front, and they were mainline locos, albeit fairly small ones.

 

Does anyone know how the three Class 1500s got to Barclays in Kilmarnock?

 

They were initially towed from Swindon to Bagnalls at Stafford in June 1961, possible to have the cylinders removed to meet Scottish clearances according to an old article in SVR News. The article suggests that they were then towed to Barclays at Kilmarnock. The SVR stock book states that they returned to Coventry by road.

 

And when they got to Swindon they went into the works as there faults had to be corrected. This included a lack of split pins, there was always a lot of split pins needed that had not been put in.

 

I assume there's a mix-up here, as I can't see new Black Fives going to Swindon have split pins fitted.

 

Thanks for that information.

 

Boulton's Portland Street Works in Ashton-Under-Lyme was a mile from the MS&LR metals and locomotives were at first moved on wagons drawn by sixteen horses but it was found to cost only a quarter as much to steam them along the street on their flanges (taking from eight to ten hours) paying the Town Council's Surveyor the cost of any damage to the road surface.

 

In the early days, locos were sometimes delivered by ship, particularly when rails didn't stretch right across the country. Certainly a fair number of locos were delivered to southern England from northern locomotive builders in that way.

Tom

 

I believe Tallylyn No's 1 and 2 were delivered from Fletcher Jennings in Whitehaven to Twywn that way.

 

Also: The Prince and The Princess were delivered from George England by sea.

 

Mountaineer, however, which preceded them, was delivered from London to Caernarfon by rail, and then onward on a specially-built cart drawn by ten horses.

 

*admires the new Trans Pennine stock* plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

This prompts a reverse question - how were locos for export transported from works to dock?

 

Did that not damage the flanges?