Boulton's Siding
Encyclopedia
Boulton's Siding was a British locomotive-hire business owned by Isaac Watt Boulton
and situated alongside the Oldham
branch of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
at Ashton-under-Lyne
. It operated from 1864 to 1898.
and 0-4-0
steam locomotive
s with larger, more modern machines. Mr I. W. Boulton took advantage of this by buying up some of the old locomotives, modifying them in his workshop, and hiring them out to contractors for use on civil engineering
projects, including the building of new railways.
The usual modifications were to fit smaller driving wheel
s (to increase tractive effort
) and to convert tender locomotive
s to tank locomotive
s.
By the 1880s, the hire business was declining so Mr Boulton started building new locomotives. He used his own patent design of boiler
which had a single large flue with cross water-tubes. This was, essentially, a horizontal predecessor of the vertical water-tube boilers later used in Sentinel Steam Waggons
. Although Boulton's boilers steamed well, they were difficult to repair so they never became popular. The business declined during the 1890s and closed in 1898. Mr Boulton died in 1899.
, first published by the Locomotive Publishing Company in 1927, new impression by David & Charles
1971, ISBN 0-7153-5318-7
Chapter I: Bury locomotives:
Chapter II: Grand Junction Railway locomotive "Shark, No. 3":
Chapter III: Original engine of the Great Central Railway "Python, No.1":
Chapter IV: Engines built by Sharp, Roberts & Co.:
Chapter V: Reputed locomotives of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway:
Chapter VI: Wolverton goods engines:
Chapter VII: Locomotives from Cardiff and the Portland Breakwater:
Chapter VIII: Geared engines: "Perseverance," "Little Grimsby," " Lilliputian ":
Chapter IX: Geared engines continued: "Rattlesnake," No. 17," " Lion ":
Chapter X: Geared engines continued: "Ashtonian," "Pugsy," "Chaplin," "Marshall":
Chapter XI: Engines from the L.&N.W.R. and the Taff Vale Railway:
Chapter XII: Engines from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway:
Chapter XIII: Engines by E. B. Wilson and Co. and Manning, Wardle and Co.:
Chapter XIV: Engines by George England and Co.:
Chapter XV: Locomotives by Hughes and Co., Loughborough:
Chapter XVI: Locomotives with water-tube boilers:
Chapter XVII: Broad gauge (7 feet) locomotives:
Chapter XVIII: Broad gauge (7 feet) locomotives [continued]: "Fowler's Ghost":
Chapter XIX: The "Ghost" materializes:
Chapter XX: Miscellaneous Locomotives,"Eclipse,""Bristol," "Dot,"" Brymbo," "Brighton," "Lewin":
Chapter XXI: Miscellaneous locomotives: [continued]; "Hercules No. 2," "Wotton," "Briton", "Cyclops," "Helena":
Chapter XXII: Miscellaneous locomotives [continued]: Adams's Steam Carriage," Queen of the Forest,""Ant," "Neilson." Engines by John Harris, Darlington. Engine by Joicey, Newcastle-on-Tyne:
Chapter XXIII: Miscellaneous locomotives [continued] "Ravenhead," "James" Smith of Coven's "No. 122."New Cross Engine. Bath Engines. Engine by John Fowler & Co., Leeds. Engine by Fox, Walker & Co. Fairlie Engine. "No. 44 "Fairy," Atlantic," ' Hawk, " No. 1129, Crewe Engine Unidentified. "Victory," "Exeter.":
Chapter XXIV: Boulton's yard in 1869. Mr. I. W. Boulton's Diaries. Conclusion.
This book was founded on a series of articles contributed by the author to the Locomotive between November, 1920, and February, 1925. During publication many new facts came to light. These [were] incorporated and the whole was carefully revised and re-arranged.
Isaac Watt Boulton
Isaac Watt Boulton was a British engineer and founder of the locomotive-hire business known as Boulton's Siding.-Family history:...
and situated alongside the Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
branch of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
at Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
. It operated from 1864 to 1898.
Overview
In the 1860s, established railway companies were replacing their small 2-2-02-2-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and no trailing wheels...
and 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...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s with larger, more modern machines. Mr I. W. Boulton took advantage of this by buying up some of the old locomotives, modifying them in his workshop, and hiring them out to contractors for use on civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
projects, including the building of new railways.
The usual modifications were to fit smaller driving wheel
Driving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
s (to increase tractive effort
Tractive effort
As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force is the pulling or pushing force exerted by a vehicle on another vehicle or object. The term tractive effort is synonymous with tractive force, and is often used in railway engineering to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a...
) and to convert tender locomotive
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
s to tank locomotive
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
s.
By the 1880s, the hire business was declining so Mr Boulton started building new locomotives. He used his own patent design of boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
which had a single large flue with cross water-tubes. This was, essentially, a horizontal predecessor of the vertical water-tube boilers later used in Sentinel Steam Waggons
Sentinel Waggon Works
Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries, railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries and locomotives.-Alley & MacLellan, Sentinel Works, Jessie Street Glasgow:...
. Although Boulton's boilers steamed well, they were difficult to repair so they never became popular. The business declined during the 1890s and closed in 1898. Mr Boulton died in 1899.
Contents
The Chronicles of Boulton's Siding by Alfred Rosling BennettAlfred Rosling Bennett
Alfred Rosling Bennett was an English electrical engineer.-Career:A. R. Bennett studied at Belle Vue Academy, Greenwich, London. He then took a job with the Indian government telegraph department.He returned to Britain in 1873 and was responsible for pioneering work in incandescent electric...
, first published by the Locomotive Publishing Company in 1927, new impression by David & Charles
David & Charles
David & Charles is a publisher. The company was founded - and is still based - in the market town of Newton Abbot, in Devon, UK, on 1 April 1960 by David St John Thomas and Charles Hadfield. It first made its name publishing titles on Britain's canals and railways...
1971, ISBN 0-7153-5318-7
Chapter I: Bury locomotives:
Chapter II: Grand Junction Railway locomotive "Shark, No. 3":
Chapter III: Original engine of the Great Central Railway "Python, No.1":
Chapter IV: Engines built by Sharp, Roberts & Co.:
Chapter V: Reputed locomotives of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway:
Chapter VI: Wolverton goods engines:
Chapter VII: Locomotives from Cardiff and the Portland Breakwater:
Chapter VIII: Geared engines: "Perseverance," "Little Grimsby," " Lilliputian ":
Chapter IX: Geared engines continued: "Rattlesnake," No. 17," " Lion ":
Chapter X: Geared engines continued: "Ashtonian," "Pugsy," "Chaplin," "Marshall":
Chapter XI: Engines from the L.&N.W.R. and the Taff Vale Railway:
Chapter XII: Engines from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway:
Chapter XIII: Engines by E. B. Wilson and Co. and Manning, Wardle and Co.:
Chapter XIV: Engines by George England and Co.:
Chapter XV: Locomotives by Hughes and Co., Loughborough:
Chapter XVI: Locomotives with water-tube boilers:
Chapter XVII: Broad gauge (7 feet) locomotives:
Chapter XVIII: Broad gauge (7 feet) locomotives [continued]: "Fowler's Ghost":
Chapter XIX: The "Ghost" materializes:
Chapter XX: Miscellaneous Locomotives,"Eclipse,""Bristol," "Dot,"" Brymbo," "Brighton," "Lewin":
Chapter XXI: Miscellaneous locomotives: [continued]; "Hercules No. 2," "Wotton," "Briton", "Cyclops," "Helena":
Chapter XXII: Miscellaneous locomotives [continued]: Adams's Steam Carriage," Queen of the Forest,""Ant," "Neilson." Engines by John Harris, Darlington. Engine by Joicey, Newcastle-on-Tyne:
Chapter XXIII: Miscellaneous locomotives [continued] "Ravenhead," "James" Smith of Coven's "No. 122."New Cross Engine. Bath Engines. Engine by John Fowler & Co., Leeds. Engine by Fox, Walker & Co. Fairlie Engine. "No. 44 "Fairy," Atlantic," ' Hawk, " No. 1129, Crewe Engine Unidentified. "Victory," "Exeter.":
Chapter XXIV: Boulton's yard in 1869. Mr. I. W. Boulton's Diaries. Conclusion.
This book was founded on a series of articles contributed by the author to the Locomotive between November, 1920, and February, 1925. During publication many new facts came to light. These [were] incorporated and the whole was carefully revised and re-arranged.