Pre-Ffestiniog narrow gauge

[Killian keane]

I dare say we're all aware of narrow gauge lines of gauges above 3' prior to the Ffestiniog, the Padarn and the Redruth and Chasewater come to mind as well as Trevithick's early engines, but what about the sub-3' lines? True the Ffestiniog and Talyllyn were unusually narrow when they were built but there were earlier lines of a similar gauge, case in point, the Upealtham Colliery Railway, 2' 1" gauge, operated by a quartet of 0-4-0st locos with tenders built by Richardson & co. in 1852

[RJS1977]

The Ffestiniog opened in 1836....

[BernardTPM]

...but didn't have steam locomotives until 1863.

[ForestPines]

The Penrhyn railway predecessor the Llandegai Tramway seems to have been the first 2ft-ish line, opening 1798.

[AMJ]

There seems to be speculation about standard gauge equating to the spacing required for two horses to pull a vehicle. So theoretically the nominal two foot would relate to the width of a single 'os.

[Tim V]

My railway of interest, 3'4" gauge (nominal) had an experimental steam engine in 1826.

[russ p]

I dare say we're all aware of narrow gauge lines of gauges above 3' prior to the Ffestiniog, the Padarn and the Redruth and Chasewater come to mind as well as Trevithick's early engines, but what about the sub-3' lines? True the Ffestiniog and Talyllyn were unusually narrow when they were built but there were earlier lines of a similar gauge, case in point, the Upealtham Colliery Railway, 2' 1" gauge, operated by a quartet of 0-4-0st locos with tenders built by Richardson & co. in 1852u_mine_head_print.jpg

Upleatham was actually an ironstone drift mine.

There were also some narrow gauge lines around great Ayton which had locomotives

[Nearholmer]

Ffestipedia has quite a good summary of very early sub-3ft locos, giving pride of place to those at Upleatham https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/Introduction_of_steam_locomotives

 

Graces Guide has this to say about the builder:

 

"Thomas Richardson and Sons of Castle Eden Foundry, Hartlepool, County Durham were builders of locomotives, mining equipment and shipbuilders.

1839 When the partnership of Parkin and Richardson dissolved, Thomas Richardson went back to the family foundry.

1840 First steam locomotives built.

1844 Thomas Richardson briefly returned to shipbuilding, building two vessels in Hartlepool over the next two years, but his main interest from then was building engines.

1847 The business became T. Richardson and Sons.

It was the engines side of the business which was developing when his sons took over the firm upon Thomas' death in 1850.

1851 First marine engine built; during the following ten years the marine engineering branch increased rapidly.

1851 Supplied vertical single-cylinder 300 hp winding engine for South Hetton Colliery.

1855 The name of the related shipbuilding firm was changed to Richardson Brothers.

1857 50 locomotives built by this date but the company now focused on colliery and marine engines."

 

50 locos, leaving aside what gauge they might have been, was pretty good going.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Killian keane]

Originally the Ffestiniog approached I W Boulton for engines, he having built the first 2' gauger in 1861 and subsequently building a further series of geared engines along similar lines with improvments

It wouldnt have been too far a stretch to dispose of the gearing and make them direct drive engines, adding a tender for additional coal, actually the more I think about that idea the more I want to build one...

Edited July 24, 2018 by Killian keane