Bradyll (locomotive)
Encyclopedia
Bradyll is an early steam locomotive built by Timothy Hackworth
at his Soho Works
in Shildon
, England
in 1840. She is the oldest surviving locomotive with an 0-6-0
wheel arrangement.
to Seaham
Docks. She was named after Colonel Thomas Bradyll, who owned the mines and promoted the railway and new port built at Seaham.
and motion, and adding a blade and weights. By World War Two, she had been withdrawn from this duty, but escaped the scrap drive as she was on an isolated piece of track.
After the war, she was placed at the works gates to the Philadelphia Iron Works as a "gate guardian" and regularly painted with a tar-based paint, which helped to preserve her. Bradyll has never been restored, and is probably unique in this respect. The locomotive has an Adamson
type firebox, and Wilson wheels, as used by Hackworth on the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
Bradyll is currently on display at Locomotion, Shildon
. She will be conserved, but no restoration will take place to return her to an "as built" appearance.
for the South Hetton Colliery
. The December 1919 issue of The Locomotive Magazine states that the locomotive at the time bore plates identifying it as Nelson No.2'.
Timothy Hackworth
Timothy Hackworth was a steam locomotive engineer who lived in Shildon, County Durham, England and was the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.- Youth and early work :...
at his Soho Works
Shildon railway works
Shildon railway works opened in 1825 in the town of Shildon in County Durham, England.- Overview :Shildon was the terminus of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, when it opened in 1825. Its first locomotive superintendent was Timothy Hackworth, who maintained their locomotives at the Soho Works...
in Shildon
Shildon
Shildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1840. She is the oldest surviving locomotive with an 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
wheel arrangement.
History
Bradyll was built to work on the South Hetton Railway, which ran from HaswellHaswell, County Durham
Haswell is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated between Durham and Peterlee.It is notable as the birthplace of English world champion road racing cyclist Tom Simpson, born 30 November 1937....
to Seaham
Seaham
Seaham, formerly Seaham Harbour, is a small town in County Durham, situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. It has a small parish church, St Mary the Virgin, with a late 7th century Anglo Saxon nave resembling the church at Escomb in many respects. St Mary the Virgin is regarded as one of...
Docks. She was named after Colonel Thomas Bradyll, who owned the mines and promoted the railway and new port built at Seaham.
Survival
Bradyll was obsolete by the 1870s, and in 1875 she was converted into a snowplough. This was done by removing her cylindersCylinder (steam locomotive)
The cylinders of a steam locomotive are the components that convert the power stored in the steam into motion.Cylinders may be arranged in several different ways.-Early locomotives:...
and motion, and adding a blade and weights. By World War Two, she had been withdrawn from this duty, but escaped the scrap drive as she was on an isolated piece of track.
After the war, she was placed at the works gates to the Philadelphia Iron Works as a "gate guardian" and regularly painted with a tar-based paint, which helped to preserve her. Bradyll has never been restored, and is probably unique in this respect. The locomotive has an Adamson
Daniel Adamson
Daniel Adamson was a notable English engineer who became a successful manufacturer of boilers and was the driving force behind the inception of the Manchester Ship Canal project during the 1880s.-Early life:...
type firebox, and Wilson wheels, as used by Hackworth on the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
Bradyll is currently on display at Locomotion, Shildon
Shildon Locomotion Museum
Shildon Locomotion Museum is a railway museum in Shildon, County Durham, England. The museum is a branch of the National Railway Museum , which is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry...
. She will be conserved, but no restoration will take place to return her to an "as built" appearance.
Is it Bradyll or not?
Recent research by Dr Michael Bailey has led him to conclude that the locomotive is probably not Bradyll, but Nelson, a locomotive built c1840 by Thomas Richardson of HartlepoolHartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
for the South Hetton Colliery
Hetton colliery railway
The Hetton colliery railway was an 8-mile-long private railway opened in 1822 by the Hetton Coal Company at Hetton Lyons, County Durham, England. It was the first to be designed from the start to be operated without animal power, and was George Stephenson's first entirely new line. When it closed...
. The December 1919 issue of The Locomotive Magazine states that the locomotive at the time bore plates identifying it as Nelson No.2'.