Baguley Works No.774 of 1919
Gauge: 2ft (610mm)
In February 1919, Baguley built the first six of these 20hp locomotives, ordered by the Timber Supply Department, which operated a number of timber tramways in forests across the United Kingdom. These were works number 774-779, and 774 was dispatched from the Shobnall Road Works in Burton-on-Trent on 5th March 1919 and delivered to the Cambrian Railways station at Machynlleth a few days later. It is believed to have worked on the timber railway at Pennal which was nearby.
In 1923, Baguley repurchased No.774 from the TSD. The rear of the cab was altered and the locomotive received a lined light green livery. It was used as a demonstration model for the company at exhibitions, first at the Commercial Motor Show in London in November 1923, then in 1924 on the Drewery stand at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.
In January 1927, Oakeley Quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog purchased the locomotive, and it worked there until 1937, when it was withdrawn from service and walled up inside the redundant Upper Mill and forgotten.
It was rescued for preservation in 1965, and after several owners was bought by the museum in 1997.
See Oakeley Quarries
Catalogue Number BAG001
Beyer, Peacock & Co. Works No.2187 of 1887
Gauge: 1ft 6in (460mm)
In 1887 four of these tiny 0-4-0 well tank steam locomotives were built by Beyer Peacock at their works at Gorton, Manchester. Three of them went to the new Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Works at Horwich. The fourth stayed at Gorton for its entire working life, shunting and moving materials around, and it is this locomotive Dot which is preserved here.
Confusingly, one of the three which went to Horwich was also named Dot. One other of the four, Wren, survives in the National Railway Museum, York.
A further five of these locomotives were built at Horwich to help work the 7½miles of 1ft 6in gauge track which made up the total Horwich Works system.
See Beyer Peacock Gorton Foundry
Catalogue Number BP001
De Winton and Co. of 1877
Gauge: 1ft 10¾in (577mm)
Vertical boilered steam locomotives of this type could be found throughout the quarry industry of North Wales. They were supplied by the Caernarfon works of De Winton and Co., whose premises were on the quay.
The locomotives incorporated various standard components which the foundry already produced for quarry or marine works. They were useful in situations where horses had previously been employed.
This example, George Henry was built in 1877 for Penrhyn Slate Quarries at Bethesda, Caernarfonshire. The quarries were owned by the Douglas-Pennant family, and George Henry Douglas-Pennant was born in 1876, with this locomotive named after him the following
year. George was killed during the first world war on 11th March 1915, whilst Captain commanding Kings Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Catalogue Number PQ001
William Spence and Company Works No.13 of 1895
Gauge: 1ft 10in (560mm)
This 0-4-0 tank locomotive was built by William Spence and Company of Dublin in 1895, one of eighteen built to the design of Samuel Geoghegan, Chief Engineer of Guinness. It worked in the unique confines of the Guinness Brewery at St. James’ Gate, Dublin which was built on both sides of a busy main street. The narrow gauge tramways on each side were connected by a tunnel under the street including a spiral, hence the need for the locomotive to be small and low. The cylinders and crank shaft are mounted on top of the boiler and drive the wheels by vertical connecting rods. This kept the motion well clear of dirt.
Geoghegan also designed an ingenious “haulage wagon” into which the locomotives could be lifted by a hoist. Their narrow gauge wheels rested on grooved rollers geared to drive 5ft 3in gauge wheels on the truck, so producing a locomotive which could shunt Irish standard gauge wagons.
This locomotive was the first to be acquired for the Museum collection. It was presented in 1952 by the then Chairman of Guinness, Sir Hugh Beaver, once a native of Brynglas. It was delivered to Tywyn on 4th August 1956.
Catalogue Number: GS001
Hunslet Engine Company Works No. 541 of 1891
Gauge: 1ft 10¾in (577mm)
Rough Pup was one of eighteen similar “Alice” class 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotives built by the Hunslet Engine Company to work in the Dinorwic Quarry at Llanberis. It was delivered from Hunslet’s Leeds works to Llanberis by train, taken through the town, hauled up inclined planes in its main parts, reassembled and set to work hauling slates and rubbish high up in the mountain.
Working conditions for people and machines were rugged, with little protection from wind and rain. The locomotives were housed in small sheds on the level where they worked and only brought down to the main works for major overhauls.
Rough Pup was withdrawn from service in 1966 and came to the Museum in 1968. It remains as it worked in the Quarry, unlike other preserved engines which have been modified to suit them for further work.
See Dinorwic Quarries and Padarn Railway
Catalogue Number DQ022
Fletcher Jennings Works No 173L of 1880
Gauge: 3ft 2¼in (970mm)
This locomotive, together with its twin Townsend Hook (No 172L), was purchased new from Fletcher Jennings of Whitehaven in 1880 by the Dorking Greystone Lime Company, based near Dorking in Surrey. The narrow gauge railway was used to transport limestone from the quarry to the adjacent lime burning kilns.
It operated there until the quarry closed its rail system in the early 1960s. It was then bought for preservation and after two owners was purchased by the museum in 2015.
See: Dorking Greystone Lime Company
Catalogue Number: DG005
Sentinel No.7701 of 1929
Gauge: 2ft 11in (890mm)
Nutty was built in 1929 by Sentinel Wagon Works as their works number 7701 for use on the London Brick Company’s railway network at Farcett, Peterborough. To keep the height as low as possible, the engine was mounted horizontally and the boiler close to the ground. It was later named “Nutty” after its driver and mechanic “Nutty” Rowell, who looked after it for 30 years.
It was donated to the Museum in 1964, and initially loaned to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway for active service, where it was converted to 2ft 6in gauge. In the 1970s it was withdrawn from service at the WLLR and returned to Tywyn, where it was stored.
In 1991, it went to the Great Whipsnade Railway for restoration, but a change of plan saw the dismantled locomotive transferred to Railworld in Peterborough, where it was hoped it would be put on display. Nutty Rowell’s grandson, Mark Lock, who owned an engineering works in Peterborough, reassembled and externally restored the locomotive. However, the exhibition at Railworld did not materialise, and the locomotive was put on display at the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.
The locomotive returned to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway as part of their 60th Anniversary event in 2023, and is on display at Raven Square station.
Catalogue Number LBC001
Motor Rail Works No.8826 of 1943
Gauge: 2ft (610mm)
Towards the end of WW2 preparations began to be made for the period when hostilities
ceased. It was anticipated that a significant number of British Army bases would be set up in
Europe and in some of these narrow gauge railway systems would be established for the
movement of stores. As a result stockpiles of suitable equipment began to be made and this
including placing a contract in 1943 on Motor Rail of Bedford for Simplex 18 HP locomotives
to the firms standard design, being fitted with a two cylinder Dormer Diesel engine.
When fighting ceased one of the results of the discussions between the successful allies was
the establishment of the British Army of the Rhine, with a number of bases, airfields,
ammunition sites etc. One of these ammunition bases was at Arsbeck and to operate the 2’ 0”
narrow gauge railway system installed at the base a number of the Motor Rail locomotives
were consigned there including 8826.
In the late 1970s 8826 returned to England and the Cinque Ports Training Area at Lydd on Dungeness Marsh. With the fall of communism, the Army facilities were re-organised and surplus equipment disposed of. It was in this context that the NGRM was offered one of the Motor Rail locomotives, and the one which was in the best condition was MR8826/43, Army No LOD 758022 which carried the name “Penelope” The locomotive was in full working order and still carried its original 1943 wartime Matt Sage Green livery. The name had been painted on in Germany using stencils. Several of the batch that returned to the UK were so adorned with feminine names.
On accepting the loco, it was collected from Lydd by a Talyllyn Railway member who had his own lorry and was taken to the member’s yard in Yorkshire. There it remained until arrangements were made for it to be permanently kept at North Ings Farm Museum in Lincolnshire, where the locomotive is kept in service.
Catalogue Number MD001
Ruston & Hornsby Works No 200744 of 1940
Gauge: 2ft (610mm)
Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company’s history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels.
“Indian Runner” is a Ruston 33/40HP diesel locomotive No 200744 powered by a 3VRO engine. It was delivered to Bessacarr Gravel Works, near Doncaster, on 27 July 1940.
It was acquired by the Long Eaton Railway Society in 1972 from there, and after that line succumbed was moved to the Bala Lake Railway in 1977. Some restoration work was carried out including refurbishment of the wheels, which were worn out, and the fitting of a cab formerly used on Talyllyn Railway No 5 “Midlander”.
The loco was purchased by Francis Stapleton who named it “Indian Runner”, a name that was to have been fitted to a locomotive at the Dinorwic Quarry.
In March 2004 the loco was donated to the Museum Trust and moved on 3 April from Llanuwchllyn to North Ings Farm Museum at Dorrington near Sleaford. The locomotive was basically in working order, but work has been undertaken to replace components of the cooling system including the radiator and top water tank, and the upper and lower fan belt covers which had suffered from corrosion as well as replace other parts such as the front platform, air filter, fan belt, fuel overflow pipes, engine cover clips, oil pressure gauge and the like which were missing. The replacement top radiator casting was previously used on Talyllyn Railway No 5 “Midlander”.
In 2010 it was decided to restore the Ruston green livery, and although much detail work remained to be completed the loco was started and run again on 3 July 2010.
The partly made brass name plates held by the Museum Trust were completed commercially early in 2013 and fitted to the loco and considerable repainting was carried out between April and August 2013. On 7 September 2013, some of the Museum trustees and invited guests gathered at North Ings for a short ceremony to thank all who had worked on the restoration of the loco and the staff at North Ings. Francis Stapleton was there and he unveiled one nameplate, started the loco and took it for a couple of runs.
Catalogue Number RUS001
L. Corpet Works No.493 of 1888
Gauge: 1m
The locomotive left the shops in the Avenue Philippe-Auguste, Paris, on 6th November 1888 for the Chemins de Fer du Cambrésis where she carried the number 5 and was named CLARY after a small town on the line. In 1936 the Cambrésis closed a number of lines because of falling receipts and scrapped or sold several locomotives. Around this time, the locomotive name was changed to CAMBRAI, originally carried by another locomotive scrapped in 1936. Corpet 493 was purchased by Thos. W. Ward Ltd and resold to the Loddington Ironstone Co Ltd, Northamptonshire.
CAMBRAI remained at Loddington until March 1956 when she left to join Corpet & Louvet 936 at Waltham, Leicestershire.
On closure of the Waltham Quarry, the locomotive was donated to the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in 1960, and for many years was displayed outside the old museum building.
The locomotive is currently on loan to the Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
Catalogue Number EW008
Kerr, Stuart & Co. Works No.721 of 1901
Gauge: 1ft 11in (589mm)
This locomotive worked on the Dundee Gas Works railway. It diminutive design allowed it to work in narrow and low height areas around the works.
It was donated to the museum in 1964, and displayed until 2016. As part of a redisplay of items in the museum, the locomotive was removed, and is on loan to the Beamish Museum, where it is currently being restored to working order.
Catalogue Number SGB001
