Jump to content
 

Can anyone identify this 2-2-2 loco, please?


Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Gold

Eric Skues, the fireman in the picture, is a relative of a friend. She had understood that the loco was part of the Festival of Britain events, but is having second thoughts. Eric was born in 1923. Can you identify the loco and give her any information about the events it may have been at? Many thanks

post-14351-0-30087200-1494153788_thumb.jpg

post-14351-0-83094200-1494153788_thumb.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Google image search identifies that photo as being on the cover of the 2003 edition of "Steam at Tonbridge: The Men and the Engines" by Mike Feaver.  The book is available on eBay, Amazon, Abebooks etc if you or your friend are inclined to get hold of a copy.  Or you might be able to track down the author eg via the publisher, Meresborough Books (they seem to specialise in local history/interest for Kent and Sussex).

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

The loco looks like 'Columbine', built at Crewe in 1845 for the Grand Junction Railway, whose livery she seems to be carrying in the photo, designed by Alexander Allen whose locos commonly featured this arrangement of a cutout in the frames to mount the slidebars onto, a very strong and robust construction.  The GJR merged in 1846 with the Liverpool and Manchester and the London and Birmingham to form the London and North Western Railway, so she wouldn't have carried this livery for long in service.

 

Columbine was a long-serving loco, withdrawn in 1906, and is part of the National Collection in the NRM at York, in LNWR livery with a weatherboard; I believe she carried a full cab for some time. 

 

Pretty little thing.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Your friend was right the first time.  This is Buddicom 2-2-2 No 3 of the Ouest, brought over the Channel for the Festival of Britain as it exemplified the 'Crewe' type.

 

D

Thank you. The similarities to the NRM's Columbine are very obvious, but the different cutouts in the splasher did make me wonder. So your explanation clears that up. I shall let Valerie know that her family recollection of its origin was authentic. I don't suppose that she will want to follow up ejstubbs' information about the book, but it may be of interest to railway enthusiasts on either side of La Manche!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Definitely not Columbine.  In the background of the picture posted, behind the tender, in the entrance to the shed, is a locomotive which looks very much like a Urie locomotive of the LSWR.

 

Davey

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Google image search identifies that photo as being on the cover of the 2003 edition of "Steam at Tonbridge: The Men and the Engines" by Mike Feaver.  The book is available on eBay, Amazon, Abebooks etc if you or your friend are inclined to get hold of a copy.  Or you might be able to track down the author eg via the publisher, Meresborough Books (they seem to specialise in local history/interest for Kent and Sussex).

My friend was very pleased to hear about the book as one of Eric's other relatives is interested in local history and has sourced a copy already! So thanks very much for that information.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It was built as Buddicom 33/1943 for the Cie Paris-Rouen (no. 33) and named "ST PIERRE", later becoming Ouest 133. The whole series of 2-2-2 tender locos were rebuilt as tank locos between 1860 and 1865, and renumbered with a preceding zero (0133) and late becoming Etat 12-010. In that state it was exhibited at St-Lazare in 1908 and again in 1937 at St-Germain, before being rebuilt back into its original tender form in 1946. The loco is now preserved at Cité du Train, Mulhouse.

 

post-10122-0-72390700-1494178242_thumb.jpg

 

Apparently featured in a photo and article about the Festival of Britain by Richard Foster in the October 2016 issue of Model Rail.

 

See also here: http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=British%20Transport%20Commission&objid=1996-7038_BTF_950_P_58

 

We'd better not get into a debate about the origins of the "Crewe Type" and the influence of Buddicom. However, for comparison here is "COLUMBINE" (Crewe 20/1845) as exhibited at the Science Museum, London.

 

post-10122-0-99878400-1494178232_thumb.jpg

Edited by EddieB
  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Many thanks, Eddie. I have now given my friend the link to this thread so she should be able to pick up any further developments. Family photos do turn up some interesting stories that may not have surfaced from railway archives, or they prompt interesting trips down historical byways.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I stand both corrected and slightly better educated; thank you everyone!

 

Glad I only said it looked like Columbine...

I am well known for jumping in with helpful information that is only part of the story. For all one knows, the others with the additional info might not have been around and Columbine might have led to uncovering its stand-in by another route. So thanks for your input. RMweb members are a helpful and informative lot.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Vague memories are often under-estimated! Thanks for yet another interesting and unexpected nugget of 133 history.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Another thread recently mentioned the film "La Bete Humaine" based on the novel by Zola and filmed in the 1940s(?) with Jean Gabin driving a Pacific.

 

The film really should have been set in the proper period using this loco. Perhaps with modern CGI techniques a remake is on the cards. A great novel that was somewhat underplayed in the film. It's quite raunchy stuff and was probably difficult to get past the film censors 70 years ago.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Bit of a bargain at €40.

 

Love the caveat about quality of the pieces and the motor. A lot of us felt that way about Ks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Does anybody know please whether Jouef also market the HO Spanish Matara loco kit and coaches?

Albyn 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anybody know please whether Jouef also market the HO Spanish Matara loco kit and coaches?

Albyn

 

I’m not familiar with the current range, but it would appear not. A search for Jouef and/or Keyser and Mataro (note spelling) will return a few results - including period carriages - but you may need deep pockets!
Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m not familiar with the current range, but it would appear not. A search for Jouef and/or Keyser and Mataro (note spelling) will return a few results - including period carriages - but you may need deep pockets!

 

 

They do pop up from time to time on eBay. it's worth keeping an eye out for them.

 

 

 

Jason

Many thanks for those helpful comments.

Albyn

Link to post
Share on other sites

The French Railway at Mulhouse is well worth a visit. In the same town is also the fabulous Schlump museum which has a fantastic collection of Bugatti cars as well as other French made cars.

Mulhouse is close to the Swiss border near Basle and is in the Alsace region of France. The white whine of Alsace is also recommended!

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Went to the museum last year with the grand-children - well worth the visit. Be warned, there is a lot to see and it's worth making a day of it (take sarnies!). There is also the Electrickery museum next door - but we didn't have enough time to see that! Might go this summer.

 

Oh, and if you do go, the signage to get there is simply awful - unsigned off the motorway and despite the 'French' way of signing (once signed keep going ahead until otherwise told) there were no 'unless otherwise told' signs. Fortunately my 'nose' guided me (guesswork mainly!!!).

 

There is also a large club layout within the museum - I forget which club - that happened to be open the day we were there - a Saturday.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...