WD72222/ARMY249

This loco is now at Rushden has any body got any information about it's history thanks in advance.

 

Although proving hard to find details is it one of these ? http://www.enuii.org/vulcan_foundry/photographs/Pre EE Diesel/vulcan drewry 0-4-0 shunters.pdf

 

Thank Fred

 

This locomotive is a standard 153hp War Department (WD) 0-4-0DM locomotive. These were fitted with a Gardner 6L3 engine, the driving wheels are 3' 3" in diameter, the wheelbase is 6' 3" and the locomotive weights 21 tons. They were supplied to the WD by both Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co Ltd (AB), of Kilmarnock (who were also builders); and the Drewry Car Co Ltd, of London (DC), who being only being suppliers (not builders), subcontracted the construction to Vulcan Foundry Ltd (VF), of Newton-le-Willows.

Your locomotive was build in 1945 and was given the works number numbers DC 2177 and VF 5258. It was originally numbered WD 72222.

In 1952, the War Department having disposed of most of its war time locomotive fleet, renumbered the locomotives which it had left, WD 72222 becoming WD 831.

On 1st April 1964, the War Department was merged with the Admiralty and the Air Ministry to form the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the War Department locomotives now being MOD (Army Department) locomotives. This lead to a further renumbering in 1968, with WD 831 becoming ARMY 249.

In 1968 ARMY 249 was at the Royal Ordnance Faxtory at Ruddington in Nottinghamshire and it later served at the Proof and Experimental Establishment at Eskdales, and then Central Ammunition Depot at Longtown, both in Cumbria.

For futher information about this (or any other WD loco) see following books:-
"War Department Locomotives" by R.Torrret (which covers the pre 1952 period;
The Industrial Railway Society "Locomotives of the Ministry of Defence" (from where most of the above facts were taken) and their county handbooks, which list all non main-line locomotives.