Avonside Locomotive Works
Encyclopedia
The Avonside Locomotive Works was a locomotive
manufacturer on Filwood Road, Fishponds, Bristol
, England
. A nearby locomotive builder was Peckett and Sons
located on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St George
.
was based in St Philips, Bristol, and founded in 1837 as Henry Stothert and Company. This firm had got into financial difficulties and was liquidated in the 1880s. A new company was formed using the Avonside name as the Avonside Locomotive Works, initially at St Philips, before the company moved to Fishponds in 1905. The capital for the new factory in Fishponds was provided by Ronald Murray, and the facility was set up to build 16 locomotives a year. The company used the shunting line into Fishponds railway station
and onto the Midland line in order to get their engines onto the mainline and onto their customers.
. One such customer was the Guaqui–La Paz
Railway in Bolivia
. Other engines built for overseas included a Heisler locomotive
, developed for use on sugar estates in hot climes. Closer to home, locomotives were supplied to the War Department (UK)
in 1915, fitted with Parsons
four-cylinder internal combustion engines. The 0-4-0
type was popular, Cadburys of Bournville
ordered a 0-4-0T in 1926 and the Great Western Railway
were supplied with six 0-4-0Ts in the 1920s.
The Avonside Locomotive Works was badly affected by the 1930s Great Depression
and went into voluntary liquidation in November 1934. The Fishponds plant and buildings were sold off in 1935 and the goodwill, drawing and patterns purchased by the Hunslet Engine Company
.
Avonside locomotives preserved in Bolivia
include:
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
manufacturer on Filwood Road, Fishponds, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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...
. A nearby locomotive builder was Peckett and Sons
Peckett and Sons
Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Works in St. George, Bristol, England.-Fox, Walker and Company:The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, Bristol, as Fox, Walker and Company, building four and six-coupled saddle tank engines for industrial use...
located on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St George
St George, Bristol
St. George is a district of Bristol, England on the edge of the inner city.- History :St George was originally outside the city boundary until about 1860. The area was once the end of the tram line from the city of Bristol, the terminus being in Beaconsfield Road.St...
.
The new company
The original Avonside Engine CompanyAvonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...
was based in St Philips, Bristol, and founded in 1837 as Henry Stothert and Company. This firm had got into financial difficulties and was liquidated in the 1880s. A new company was formed using the Avonside name as the Avonside Locomotive Works, initially at St Philips, before the company moved to Fishponds in 1905. The capital for the new factory in Fishponds was provided by Ronald Murray, and the facility was set up to build 16 locomotives a year. The company used the shunting line into Fishponds railway station
Fishponds railway station
Fishponds railway station was a station in Fishponds, Bristol, England, a victim of Dr Beeching's cuts in the 1960s.Fishponds station was just south of where Wm Morrison's supermarket car park is today. The railway line was built in 1835 for transport of coal from Coalpit Heath to industry in the...
and onto the Midland line in order to get their engines onto the mainline and onto their customers.
Locomotive production
The company carried on the previous firm's policy of concentrating on smaller engine types of various gauges, and saw some success in exporting their locomotives all over the world as far afield as South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. One such customer was the Guaqui–La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
Railway in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. Other engines built for overseas included a Heisler locomotive
Heisler locomotive
The Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted...
, developed for use on sugar estates in hot climes. Closer to home, locomotives were supplied to the War Department (UK)
War Department (UK)
The War Department was the United Kingdom government department responsible for the supply of equipment to the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the pursuance of military activity. In 1857 it became the War Office...
in 1915, fitted with Parsons
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company was a British engineering company based in Wallsend, North England, on the River Tyne.-History:The company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1897 with £500,000 of capital, and specialised in building the steam turbine engines that he had invented for...
four-cylinder internal combustion engines. The 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
type was popular, Cadburys of Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
ordered a 0-4-0T in 1926 and the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The 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 in 1838...
were supplied with six 0-4-0Ts in the 1920s.
The Avonside Locomotive Works was badly affected by the 1930s Great Depression
Great Depression in the United Kingdom
The Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
and went into voluntary liquidation in November 1934. The Fishponds plant and buildings were sold off in 1935 and the goodwill, drawing and patterns purchased by the Hunslet Engine Company
Hunslet Engine Company
The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for...
.
Surviving Fishponds-built Avonside locomotives
Several Fishponds-built Avonside locomotives remain, including:- Avonside 0-6-0ST, built in 1918 for the AvonmouthAvonmouthAvonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
Imperial SmeltingSmeltingSmelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
Works. It was retired in 1972 and purchased by the Avon Valley RailwayAvon Valley RailwayThe Avon Valley Railway is a three-mile-long heritage railway based at Bitton station in South Gloucestershire, England, not far from Bristol and is run by a local group: The Avon Valley Railway Company Ltd. The railway follows the Avon Valley south-east from Oldland Common, through Bitton and...
where it is currently being restored. It now carries the name "Edwin Hulse". - None of the former GWR Avonside 0-4-0T (1101 Class) survived, but a similar loco, built for Cadbury, is on display at Tyseley Locomotive Works gauge HeislerHeisler locomotiveThe Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted...
-type articulated, geared 0-4-4-0T preserved at the Phyllis Rampton TrustPhyllis Rampton TrustThe Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust is a British charity which is registered with the British Charity Commission as 292240 under the classification of "Education/TrainingEnvironment/Conservation/Heritage"... - Elidir a 0-4-0T, one of Avonside's last locomotives built in 1933. Returned from preservation in Canada in 2006 and is now at the Leighton Buzzard Light RailwayLeighton Buzzard Light RailwayThe Leighton Buzzard Light Railway is a narrow gauge light railway in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, England. It operates on a gauge, and is just under long. The line was built after the First World War to serve sand quarries north of the town...
Avonside locomotives preserved in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
include:
- Avonside #2049 from 1930, metre gaugeMetre gaugeMetre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
(3' 3 3/8"), 2-8-0 FCG #8. Today she's static at Guaqui Locomotive ShedGuaquiGuaqui is a railhead and port in Bolivia on Lake Titicaca. A ferry connects with the Peruvian railhead and port on Puno.- Gauge :The railways on the Bolivian side are gauge, while the railways on the Peruvian side are gauge.- References :...
in GuaquiGuaquiGuaqui is a railhead and port in Bolivia on Lake Titicaca. A ferry connects with the Peruvian railhead and port on Puno.- Gauge :The railways on the Bolivian side are gauge, while the railways on the Peruvian side are gauge.- References :...
. Her wheels, cylinders and the frontal parts of its frame are missing.