The
Midland Railway Locomotive Works, known locally as "the loco" comprised a number of
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
facilities in
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
building locomotives and, initially,
rolling stockRolling stock is the collective term that describes all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
in
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
,
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
Early days
Around 1840 the
North Midland RailwayThe North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
, the
Midland Counties RailwayThe Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...
and the Birmingham and Derby Railway set up workshops to the rear of
Derby stationDerby Midland Station is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service...
. Although the Midland Counties had an engine house at Nottingham, the main facilities for all three lines appear to have been, initially at least, those at Derby. That for the Birmingham and Derby was next to its line, near London Road. It was about long and wide, with three lines and three wide archways at its entrance, supporting a water tank. In one corner was a smithy. The Midland Counties' shed was rectangular and about long to the north of the site. Adjacent to it were water and coke facilities, and locomotive repair workshops. The North Midland's became a full repair facility, with a smithy, lathes and other machine tools. These were associated with what is believed to be the first
RoundhouseA roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, designed by
Francis ThompsonFrancis Thompson was an architect particularly well known for his railway work.He was born in 1808 in Woodbridge in Suffolk, England, to a family of builders. He married Anna Maria Watson in 1830 at Woodbridge church and emigrated to Montreal in British North America . Their son Francis Jacob...
. On each side of it, in a vee, were workshops for locomotive and rolling stock repair.
In 1841, problems were becoming apparent with the heat of the exhaust gases through the fireboxes of the locomotives, and the North Midland works assisted
George StephensonGeorge Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives, and he is renowned as being the "Father of Railways"...
in the design of his "
Long Boiler locomotiveThe Long Boiler locomotive was the object of a patent by Robert Stephenson and the name became synonymous with the pattern.It is generally perceived that it arose out of attempts to match the power of broad gauge locomotives within the limitations of the loading gauge of Stephenson railways.However...
" In the same year, the Midland Counties locomotive "Bee" (formerly "Ariel") was fitted with 'Samuel Hills Smoke Consuming Apparatus' in an attempt to conform to the Government's insistence that they should "consume their own smoke." This experimentation was carried on with the use of a brick arch in the firebox to use the cheaper
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
instead of
cokeCoke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous.-Production:Coke is usually produced from coal; the process is called coking....
, but it was initially unsuccessful.
Matthew Kirtley
When the three companies merged in 1844 to form the
Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, Derby became its headquarters and the immediate task was to achieve some standardisation in the various locomotives that it had inherited. Locomotives at that time were designed and built by manufacturers who might be lacking in actual operating experience with their products. The first Locomotive and Carriage Superintendent was
Matthew KirtleyMatthew Kirtley was an important early locomotive engineer. His brother Thomas Kirtley was also a locomotive engineer as was his nephew, William Kirtley, who served as locomotive superintendent on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, 1874-1898.Kirtley was born in February 1813 at Tanfield,...
who persuaded various manufacturers to build to his own design and in 1849 fifty six-coupled goods engines were delivered.
After improving the workshops and facilities, including a second roundhouse in 1847, he persuaded the directors that the railway should build its own engines. New building began in 1851 with passenger engines to the
"Jenny Lind"The Jenny Lind locomotive was the first of a class of ten steam locomotives built in 1847 for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway by E.B.Wilson and Company of Leeds, named after Jenny Lind who was a famous opera singer of the period....
pattern, and more standard goods. He then produced a large "single" with six foot six inch driving wheels. Throughout its existence, the Midland never became fully self-sufficient, usually having its locos built by private contractors to its own designs. Initially there was some resistance on the part of Sharp Stewart and
StephensonRobert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.- Foundation and early success :...
, who quoted over-long delivery times, so that Kirtley had to accept the maker's own designs. These were good enough, however, that Fowler some more to a similar pattern. In 1861 he built four
0-6-0The term 0-6-0 is the Whyte notation for the wheel arrangement of a locomotive with six powered driving wheels , and neither leading nor trailing wheels...
banking engines for the
Lickey Inclinethumb|The [[safety valve]]s of a 4F lift as she prepares to attack the bank, also 1955.thumb|A few moments later the pair of 3F [[0-6-0]] tanks banking the 4F's train pass the photographer....
with four foot drivers instead of the usual five. Kirtley's first
2-4-0In Whyte notation, a 2-4-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has two leading wheels followed by two coupled driving wheels, with no trailing wheels....
was a rebuilt
2-2-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-2-2 locomotive has two leading wheels, two driving wheels and two trailing wheels...
but he went on to build six for use into King's Cross, then fifteen more.
A further, much larger roundhouse was built in 1852, followed by a large rectangular engine shed with two turntables in 1890. The original North Midland workshop, which by then had become offices, was raised by one storey in 1859-60, the clock tower being increased in height accordingly. A long footbridge was added from the entrance door to the front of the station, of which only a fragment remains today. A third floor was added in 1893.
Another of Kirtley's achievements in 1859 was, at last, to solve the problem of coal burning by combining the brick arch with a firehole door deflector plate and a blower to increase the draught. Research into track wear was carried out by
Robert Forester MushetRobert Forester Mushet , an English metallurgist, born April 8, 1811, in Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The youngest son of Agnes Wilson and David Mushet, an ironmaster, formerly of the Clyde, Alfreton and Whitcliff Ironworks.In 1819 David Mushet built a foundry at...
who produced the first double-headed rail using Bessemer steel. Whereas
cast ironCast iron usually refers to grey iron, but also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys, which solidify with a eutectic. The colour of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due to its carbide impurities which...
rails lasted typically six months, a length of steel rail laid near Derby station 1857 was still in use in 1873.
Kirtley also introduced a system of templates and gauges based on the
Whitworth systemBritish Standard Whitworth is one of a number of imperial unit based screw thread standards which use the same bolt heads and nut hexagonal sizes, some others being British Standard Fine thread and British Standard Cycle...
. Meanwhile
wrought ironthumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content, in comparison to steel, and has fibrous inclusions, known as slag. This is what gives it a "grain" resembling wood, which is visible when it is etched...
axles failures were a problem. In 1870-[871, Kirtley began a programme of research which eventually resulted in the introduction of steel.
By the end of the 1860s the works had expanded to such an extent, that he was considering reorganising it; and, in 1873, it separated into the
Locomotive Works, remaining behind the station, and the
Derby Carriage and Wagon WorksDerby Carriage and Wagon Works was built by the Midland Railway in Derby, EnglandRailway building began at Derby Works in 1840, when the North Midland Railway, the Midland Counties Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Railway set up engine sheds as part of their Tri Junct Station...
, further south, off Litchurch Lane.
Samuel Johnson
Kirtley died in office in 1873 leaving a respectable legacy of development and sound locomotives, some of which lasted eighty years. The works reorganisation was completed in 1887 by his successor
Samuel W. JohnsonSamuel Waite Johnson was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway from 1873 to 1903. He was born in Bramley, Yorkshire and educated at Leeds Grammar School.-Career:...
, the carriage and wagon works coming under the control of
James ClaytonJames Clayton MBE was a British mechanical engineer who worked extensively on railway locomotives.He attended the Technical School in Manchester and thereafter served an apprenticeship at Beyer Peacock, becoming a draughtsman in their drawing office. After six years in that post he took a...
. In addition the works took over the old Derby Gas Company works.
Johnson continued to build four-coupled passenger locos for the steeper grades, but also some
2-2-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-2-2 locomotive has two leading wheels, two driving wheels and two trailing wheels...
singles for lighter work. In 1886, the workshop manager, Mr. F. Holt devised a system of applying sand beneath the wheels to improve adhesion. This system is still in use today, using compressed air instead of steam as the propellant.
In 1897 a general strike was followed by a rapid rise in the economy. The railway had placed orders for 170 new locos with private builders, all of whom were snowed under. By the end of 1898 none had been delivered and the railway was under pressure for its freight customers, particularly in
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
. The Midland ordered twenty
2-6-0In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 2-6-0 has a pair of leading wheels followed by six driving wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
s from the Burnham & William's
Baldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania...
in America which were supplied as parts for assembly. Since the workshops were also full, they had to be assembled in the open air by quickly-recruited labour. Wishing to order twenty more, which Baldwins could not supply, ten were ordered from the
Schenectady Locomotive WorksThe Schenectady Locomotive Works built railroad locomotives from the mid 19th century through its merger into American Locomotive Company in 1901.After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady plant its headquarters in Schenectady, New York....
. The Baldwin's American appearance raised a good deal of comment.
The most famous singles, the so-called
Midland SpinnerThe Midland Railway 115 Class is a class of 4-2-2 steam locomotive. They were known as "Spinners", possibly because of the wheelslip that the single large driving wheel caused...
s were built in 1900 and the
Belpaire fireboxThe Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
appeared on some
4-4-0A 4-4-0 is a type of steam locomotive. In the Whyte notation, 4-4-0 signifies that it has a two-axle truck to help guide it into curves, and two driving axles coupled by a connecting rod...
s. The first of the "Midland Compounds" appeared in 1904. This was based on a
North Eastern RailwayThe North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.- Introduction :...
two-cylinder
4-4-0A 4-4-0 is a type of steam locomotive. In the Whyte notation, 4-4-0 signifies that it has a two-axle truck to help guide it into curves, and two driving axles coupled by a connecting rod...
which had been rebuilt to three cylinders, and became the basis for a number of classes over the following years, totalling 240 engines. He also produced a very simple, but robust,
0-6-0The term 0-6-0 is the Whyte notation for the wheel arrangement of a locomotive with six powered driving wheels , and neither leading nor trailing wheels...
goods engine of which 865 were built between 1875 to 1902.
Richard Deeley
Johnson retired in 1903 and was succeeded by
Richard Mountford DeeleyRichard Mountford Deeley was a British engineer, chiefly noted for his five years as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway....
who began as an apprentice at the works. He carried on much where Johnson had left off, but improved the compounds with an uprated boiler and firebox, also changing the tender to a smaller six-wheeled design. Deeley was very soon promoted to Locomotive Superintendent, with Cecil Paget as Works Manager.
In 1904 two steam motor-carriages for the
Morecambe-Heysham|}The Morecambe Branch Line is a railway line in Lancashire, England, from Lancaster to Morecambe and Heysham where services connect with the ferry service to Douglas on the Isle of Man. To reach Heysham, trains must reverse at Morecambe....
service, which were fitted out at the carriage works. Since he was also Locomotive Superintendent, he reorganised the numbering system in 1907 so that different groups of numbers were used for different classes. Among his improvements to the works, he devised a heavy testing rig for structure testing up to 50
tonsTons can refer to:* Tons River, a major river in India* plural of ton, a unit of mass * slang: for many of something, "there were a ton of people at the party"...
in what had developed into a dedicated Engineering Testing Department.
By 1900 some 40,000 people were employed, producing 40 new engines a year. Electric power and lighting was installed in the Locomotive Works during 1910, supplied by the company's new generating plant located across the Derby canal at the rear of the Works. An earlier and smaller scale electric generating station had been built by the Midland during March 1893 in Calvert Street, Derby to provide current to light the station offices, the Midland Hotel and the Locomotive Works offices. A textile research facility was opened in Calvert Street for upholstery and seat materials. This facility is thought to have used the buildings made redundant by the closure of the 1893 generating station when the new generating station was brought on line in 1910.
Henry Fowler
In 1907 Paget became General Superintendent, with
Henry FowlerSir Henry Fowler, KBE was a Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway and subsequently the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
becoming Works Manager. In 1908 Paget caused to be built a revolutionary new locomotive, the
Paget locomotiveThe Midland Railway's Paget locomotive, No. 2299, was an experimental steam locomotive constructed at its Derby Works in 1908 to the design of the General Superintendent Cecil Paget ....
based on the Willans high speed central valve engines, some of which had been installed at the works.
In 1909
Henry FowlerSir Henry Fowler, KBE was a Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway and subsequently the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
became the Mechanical Engineer. For the next five years, rebuilding continued and then came the
Great WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
.
From 1914 the works turned to aiding the war effort, producing eleven howitzers by the end of the year. Like most of the other works, Derby produced large number of shells and their components. Initially producing 3000 fuses a week, it installed automated equipment, increasing production tenfold, the work being mainly undertaken by some 500 women.
Some new locomotives, however, were built for the Midland's own use and some for the
Midland and Great Northern Joint CommitteeThe Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
and the
Somerset and Dorset Joint RailwayThe Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
. Notable among them were the
Somerset and Dorset 2-8-0s The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway 7F 2-8-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. 11 were built in two batches in 1914 and 1925 and two are preserved.- Overview :...
, a class of heavy freight locomotives for the Dorset banks, extremely large by Midland standards. 11 were built in two batches in 1914 and 1925. A new, more powerful
0-6-0The term 0-6-0 is the Whyte notation for the wheel arrangement of a locomotive with six powered driving wheels , and neither leading nor trailing wheels...
was designed in 1911 and two were built. Quantity production began in 1917 with 192 being built in the first few years, and a further 580 after grouping up to 1940. Another remarkable engine of this period was the
0-10-0In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotive wheel arrangement, an 0-10-0 is a locomotive with ten driving wheels and neither leading nor trailing wheels. Because of that lack, it is not stable at speed and is a type confined to fairly low-speed work, such as switching,...
"Lickey Banker", designed in 1919, by
James ClaytonJames Clayton MBE was a British mechanical engineer who worked extensively on railway locomotives.He attended the Technical School in Manchester and thereafter served an apprenticeship at Beyer Peacock, becoming a draughtsman in their drawing office. After six years in that post he took a...
specifically for use on the
Lickey Inclinethumb|The [[safety valve]]s of a 4F lift as she prepares to attack the bank, also 1955.thumb|A few moments later the pair of 3F [[0-6-0]] tanks banking the 4F's train pass the photographer....
south of
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
George Hughes
The co-operation between the railways in the war effort to some extent smoothed the way to amalgamation in 1923 with the Midland becoming part of the
LMSThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 300 separate railway companies into just four....
.
George HughesGeorge Hughes may refer to:*George Edward Hughes , Professor of Philosophy at the Victoria University of Wellington*George Hughes , British locomotive engineer*George Hughes , former NFL player...
became the Chief Mechanical Engineer. However he preferred to make his headquarters at Horwich, building the famous
4-6-0In the Whyte notation, a 4-6-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck followed by three driving axles. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in America in the mid-19th century...
"Horwich Crabs". He was succeeded in 1925 by Sir Henry Fowler, by
Ernest LemonSir Ernest John Hutchings Lemon, OBE was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and later one of its four Vice-Presidents.- Biography :Lemon was educated at Heriot-Watt College...
in 1931; and, finally in 1932 by
William StanierSir William Arthur Stanier, FRS was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
.
The major source of friction, however, was the Midland's policy of using small engines, adding another if the load warranted it, or for hilly stretches. This had worked perfectly well, for the Midland's track in general was level, but trains were becoming heavier. The other major member of the grouping, the
LNWRThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
, had already invested in larger engines for its lines north of
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
. Another passion imported from the Midland was for standardisation, which, in the case of axleboxes was to prove problematic for future, heavier, locos.
Production carried on much as before, of Midland
0-6-0The term 0-6-0 is the Whyte notation for the wheel arrangement of a locomotive with six powered driving wheels , and neither leading nor trailing wheels...
s and
4-4-0A 4-4-0 is a type of steam locomotive. In the Whyte notation, 4-4-0 signifies that it has a two-axle truck to help guide it into curves, and two driving axles coupled by a connecting rod...
"Compounds", while Hughes
4-6-0In the Whyte notation, a 4-6-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck followed by three driving axles. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in America in the mid-19th century...
s were built at Horwich and Crewe. However, plans were afoot for something larger, with a "Castle" class loco borrowed from the
GWRThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835, and ran its first trains three years later...
for trials between Euston and Carlisle. In 1927, fifty
4-6-0In the Whyte notation, a 4-6-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck followed by three driving axles. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in America in the mid-19th century...
s were produced by the
North British Locomotive CompanyThe North British Locomotive Company of Scotland was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow companies, Sharp Stewart, Neilson and Company and Dübs and Company, creating the largest locomotive building company in Europe. Its main factories were located at the neighbouring Atlas and...
and in 1930, production of a further twenty was begun at Derby.
William Stanier
William Stanier was appointed in 1932 as someone from one outside of the company who was clearly unaffected by the politics of the various constituent companies within the LMS. His appointment would clearly have been accompanied by a change in attitude which would include the motivation to strengthen the Midland track and structures. Crewe had been provided by the LNWR with a very large foundry and he concentrated most of the production there. The central drawing office remained in Derby, at Nelson Street, and in 1933, under Lord Stamp Derby became a national research centre with the establishment of the
LMS Scientific Research LaboratoryThe LMS Scientific Research Laboratory was set up following the formation of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.In 1929, the Company President, Lord Stamp read a paper Scientific Research in Transport to the Institute of Transport, and, in 1930 he founded the Advisory Committee on...
in 1933 on the west side of London Road.
The main business of any locomotive works is maintenance and repairs, but Derby continued to build Fowler's 0-6-0s and assisted Crewe with longer production runs, usually with castings provided by Crewe. It also assisted Nelson Street with new ventures, including the LMS's pioneering work with diesel shunters. In 1931, an old Midland Railway
Class 1F 0-6-0The Midland Railway 1377 Class is a class of steam locomotive. They were introduced 1878 by Samuel W. Johnson based on an earlier 1874 design. Up to 1891, 185 were built: 165 by Derby Works and the last 20 by the Vulcan Foundry....
tank had been converted by fitting a Davey Paxman diesel engine and a hydraulic transmission by the Derby firm of Haslam & Newton.
Although the hydraulic transmission failed in 1936, valuable experience had been gained, and various shunters were ordered from outside manufacturers. Two of these types, one from
Armstrong WhitworthSir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
powered by a Sulzer engine, the other from
Hawthorn Leslie and CompanyR. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturer.-History:...
with an English Electric engine, both with electric transmission, provided the future pattern for shunters which would come to be built at Derby, and later the basis for the
British Rail Class 08The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the works built Class 5
4-6-0In the Whyte notation, a 4-6-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck followed by three driving axles. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in America in the mid-19th century...
s and
2-6-4Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-6-4 locomotive has two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:
...
Ts.
Charles FairburnCharles Edward Fairburn was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
oversaw the building of a
HampdenThe Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
Bomber Repair facility involving both the loco and the carriage & wagon works. Wings and fuselages were reaired and sent to a private contractor at Nottingham for assembly. In time other aircraft were repaired, including
LancasterThe Avro Lancaster was a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF and squadrons from other...
s. The works also built carriages for field guns and anti-tank guns.
Fairburn and Ivatt
In 1944, Fairburn became Chief Mechanical Engineer when Stanier retired, and he was followed in 1945 by
H.G.IvattHenry George Ivatt known as George Ivatt, was the post-war Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. He was the son of the Great Northern Railway locomotive engineer Henry Ivatt....
.
Locomotive production continued, including new versions of the shunters. The first, from 1936, had a single motor driving the wheels through a jackshaft. This was because the axle hung motors of the English Electric design had proved difficult to ventilate and had given severe overheating problems. This had been overcome in 1940 by using double reduction gearing on the axle hung motors and limiting the maximum speed.
British Railways
When the railways were nationalised in 1947, the works at Derby became part of
BR WorkshopsBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
.
From 1948 the works produced 106 Standard Class 4
2-6-4Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-6-4 locomotive has two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:
...
tank engines, then from 1951 to 1957 turned to Class 5
4-6-0In the Whyte notation, a 4-6-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck followed by three driving axles. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in America in the mid-19th century...
s, 110 in all. The last steam locomotive to be built, bringing the total to 2941, was a
4-6-0In the Whyte notation, a 4-6-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck followed by three driving axles. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in America in the mid-19th century...
BR standard class 5The British Railways Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 was one of the standard classes of steam locomotives built by British Railways in the 1950s. 172 were built, essentially being a development of the LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 .- Background :...
mixed traffic with
Caprotti valve gearThe Caprotti valve gear is a type of steam engine valve gear invented by the Italian Arturo Caprotti. It uses camshafts and poppet valves rather than the piston valves used in other valve gear...
number 73154.
In 1948 the first British main-line diesel electric locomotive had been driven out of the paint shop by Ivatt himself, number
10,000British Railways Class D16/1 or 10000 and 10001 were the first mainline diesel locomotives in Great Britain. They were built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at its Derby Works, using the EE16SVT 1600 hp diesel engine with electric transmission, in association with English Electric and...
just in time to have LMS livery. Its sibling, 10001 began its life in British Railways livery. In 1952 the experimental diesel-mechanical locomotive, the "
Fell DieselBritish Railways 10100 was an unusual experimental diesel locomotive known informally as The Fell Diesel Locomotive . It was the joint production of Davey Paxman & Co, Shell Refining & Marketing Co and Lt-Col L.F.R. Fell, built for them by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at Derby. Sir...
" went into service.
There matters rested until British Rail's Modernisation Plan and in 1958 production began on the first ten Type 2 main line locos, later known as the
Class 24The British Rail Class 24 diesel locomotives, also known as the Sulzer Type 2, were built from 1958 to 1961. One hundred and fifty-one of these locomotives were built at Derby, Crewe and Darlington, the first twenty of them as part of the British Rail 1955 Modernisation Plan. This class was used as...
or, in popular culture, the "Derby Sulzers".
In 1959 the first of the Type 4s, later classified
Class 44The British Rail Class 44 or Sulzer Type 4 diesel locomotives were built by British Railways' Derby Works between 1959 to 1960. They were named after British mountains, and consequently nicknamed Peaks.-Description:...
"Scafell Pike" emerged from the works. The Class 24 were followed by the
Class 25The British Rail Class 25 diesel locomotives were also known as Sulzer Type 2 and nicknamed Rats, as it was alleged they could be seen everywhere in Britain...
, and the Class 44 by the
Class 45The British Rail Class 45 also known as the Sulzer Type 4 diesel locomotives were built by British Rail at their Derby and Crewe Works between 1960 and 1962. They were the production versions of the Class 44 locomotives. When initially put into service the locomotives were fitted with multi-unit...
and
Class 46The British Rail Class 46 is a class of diesel locomotive. They were built from 1961-1963 at British Railways' Derby Works and were initially numbered D138-D193. With the arrival of TOPS they were renumbered to Class 46. Fifty-six locomotives were built...
.
The full complement having been achieved in 1962, new production was concentrated at Crewe, however Derby received one more order when Beyer Peacock Ltd asked to be released from their contract. When production finally ceased in 1966, over a thousand diesel locos had been built at Derby.
The only new build after that time was six electric non-driving motor coaches in 1978 to power the six
Advanced Passenger TrainThe Advanced Passenger Train was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s, which did not enter regular service....
formations.
Recent History
In 1964 British Railways had established the
British Rail Research DivisionThe British Rail Research Division came into being in 1964 directly under the control of the British Railways Board, moving into purpose-built premises at the Railway Technical Centre in Derby. The intention was to improve railway reliability and efficiency, while reducing costs and improving revenue...
, which reported directly to the
British Railways BoardThe British Railways Board was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail...
(BRB). It was the first to move into the new
Railway Technical CentreThe Railway Technical Centre in London Road, Derby, UK, was built by the British Railways Board in the early 1960s to be its technical headquarters....
on London Road opposite the old LMS research building. followed by the BRB Department of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering (DM&EE).
In 1988 the works were separated from the government concern and formed into the quasi-independent British Rail Engineering Limited (
BRELBREL stands for British Rail Engineering Limited, which was the engineering division of British Rail until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised....
) which also had its headquarters in the Railway Technical Centre.
BREL was eventually bought by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), which then became
AdtranzADtranz was a German-Swedish rail rolling stock equipment manufacturer which designed rail cars and engines....
, and later,
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
.
The Locomotive works was mostly demolished. Along with the land formerly occupied by Chaddesden sidings and the gas works, it was renamed "
Pride ParkPride Park is a business park on the outskirts of the city centre of Derby, UK. It covers 80 hectares of former industrial land between the River Derwent and railway lines.-History:...
", part of which is occupied by the
Derby County Football ClubDerby County Football Club is a professional football club based in Derby, England, currently playing in the Football League Championship. The club is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only eleven clubs to have competed in...
stadium of that name.
After determined campaigning by heritage groups, the original North Midland roundhouse, with the original Midland Railway offices and the original Midland Counties workshop were spared. (The Birmingham And Derby's workshops had been demolished around 1870.) Though
Grade 2 listed, they became more and more derelict. There was talk for a while of
Pete WatermanPeter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast...
taking them over. However, in 2006 it has been bought from the city council for £1 by
Derby CollegeDerby College is a further education centre with sites located within Derby, England and the surrounding area.-History:The college was previously two separate entities: Mackworth College and Wilmorton College.-Mackworth College:...
, who plan to spend £36 million to restore it for use as a college campus, with grants from the
Heritage Lottery FundThe Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and the East Midlands Development Agency. The campus is due to open to students in September 2009.
The Carriage and Wagon Works in Litchurch Lane remains in production, and has continued building diesel and electrical multiple units. Though its future is uncertain, in 2006 it is said to be the only remaining specialist British train manufacturer.
Further reading
- Marsden, C.J., (1989) Twenty Five Years of Railway Research, Haynes Publishing Co.
- Radford, J.B., (1971) Derby Works and Midland Locomotives, Ian Allan
- Truman, P., Hunt, D., (1989) Midland Railway Portrait Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing.
External links