Midland Counties Railway Locomotives
Encyclopedia
In its short life, the Midland Counties Railway
bought nearly fifty locomotives from a number of manufacturers.
Initially, outside cylindered engines were ordered because of frequency of axle breakage with inside cylinders. However, one of the sub-committee delegated to order the motive power, Theodore Rathbone, was an admirer of the Bury engines used on the London and Birmingham line, and all further orders were for inside-cylindered locos.
The initial delivery of engines had 11 inch cylinders, but, being found to be short of power, further orders were for engines with 13 inch cylinders.
Butterley Company
, Derbyshire
(renamed Bee in 1841)
Ariel hauled one of the inaugural trains from Nottingham
to Derby
, following Sunbeam. Nevertheless, the Butterley locos would not appear to have been satisfactory, since the railway refused to pay for them until the end of 1841.
Jones, Turner and Evans
, Newton-le-Willows
Four coupled:
Stark and Fulton
, Glasgow
Edward Bury and Company, Liverpool
Leopard hauled the inaugural train from Nottingham to Leicester
Four Coupled
Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company
, Patricroft
(presumably bought as a freight engine)
William Fairbairn & Sons
, Liverpool
(renamed Shark in 1842/3)
Benjamin Hick and Sons
, Bolton
Vivid, which opened the line from Leicester to Rugby
, was a contractor's locomotive.
Midland Counties Railway
The 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...
bought nearly fifty locomotives from a number of manufacturers.
Initially, outside cylindered engines were ordered because of frequency of axle breakage with inside cylinders. However, one of the sub-committee delegated to order the motive power, Theodore Rathbone, was an admirer of the Bury engines used on the London and Birmingham line, and all further orders were for inside-cylindered locos.
The initial delivery of engines had 11 inch cylinders, but, being found to be short of power, further orders were for engines with 13 inch cylinders.
Butterley Company
Butterley Company
Butterley Engineering was an engineering company based in Ripley, Derbyshire. The company was formed from the Butterley Company which began as Benjamin Outram and Company in 1790 and existed until 2009.-Origins:...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
- 1. Ariel 2-2-2 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 11x16 (outside)
(renamed Bee in 1841)
- 2. Hercules 2-2-2 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 (outside)
Ariel hauled one of the inaugural trains from Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
to Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority 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...
, following Sunbeam. Nevertheless, the Butterley locos would not appear to have been satisfactory, since the railway refused to pay for them until the end of 1841.
Jones, Turner and Evans
Jones, Turner and Evans
Jones, Turner and Evans was a locomotive manufacturer in Newton-le-Willows, England.The company opened in 1837 with subcontracts from Edward Bury and Robert Stephenson. They provided locomotives for the North Union Railway and the Midland Counties Railway, the latter all 2-2-2 with diameter...
, Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows is a small market town within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is situated about midway between the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, to the east of St Helens, to the north of Warrington and to the south of...
- 4. Sunbeam 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 5. Wizard 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 6. Hecate 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Four coupled:
- 46. Fox 0-4-2 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x20
- 47. Rob Roy 0-4-2 (? 2-2-2) 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Stark and Fulton
Stark and Fulton
Stark and Fulton was an engineering company in Glasgow, Scotland.Little is known about the company except that it built some of the first steam locomotives for the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway and the Midland Counties Railway around 1840. For about four months, D B Stark was a loco...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
- 3. Hawk 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 9. Vulture 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 10. Eagle 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Edward Bury and Company, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- 7. Lion 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 8. Tiger 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 11. Leopard 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 12. Panther 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 13. Reindeer ' 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 14. Antelope 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 15. Unicorn 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Leopard hauled the inaugural train from Nottingham to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
- 16. Cerberus 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 17. Caliban 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 18. Resilisk 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 19. Phantom 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 35. Vizier 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 36. Vandal 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 37. Siren 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 38. Sultan 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Four Coupled
- 42. Buffalo 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 43. Bloodhound 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 44. Mastiff 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 45. Mammoth 0-4-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company
Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company
Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company, originally called The Bridgewater Foundry, specialised in the production of heavy machine tools and locomotives. It was located in Patricroft, in Salford England, close to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the Bridgewater Canal and the Manchester Ship Canal...
, Patricroft
Patricroft
Patricroft is a district of Eccles, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.-History:Patricroft may derive its name from 'Pear-tree croft', or more likely, 'Patrick's Croft'. In 1836, James Nasmyth, in partnership with Holbrook Gaskell, built the Bridgewater Foundry in...
- 20. Lightning 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 21. Lucifer 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 22. Hurricane 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 23. Firebrand 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 24. Rainbow 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 25. Sirocco 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 39. Wolf 2-2-2 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 14x18
(presumably bought as a freight engine)
William Fairbairn & Sons
William Fairbairn & Sons
William Fairbairn and Sons, was an engineering works in Manchester, England.-History:William Fairbairn opened an iron foundry in 1816 and was joined the following year by a Mr. Lillie, and the firm became known as Fairbairn and Lillie Engine Makers, producing iron steamboats.Their foundry and...
, Liverpool
- 40. Harlequin 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
(renamed Shark in 1842/3)
- 41. Ganymede 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Benjamin Hick and Sons
Benjamin Hick and Sons
B. Hick and Sons, later known as Hick, Hargreaves & Co, was a British engineering company, based at the Soho Ironworks in Bolton, England....
, Bolton
- 26. Dragon 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 27. Scorpion 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 28. Hornet 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 29. Wivern 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 30. Vampire 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 31. Lynx 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
- 32. Centaur 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 33. Hydra 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
- 34. Harpy 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Vivid, which opened the line from Leicester to Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
, was a contractor's locomotive.