The Last Steam Engines Built

[1165Valour]

Just for fun, I tried to find out what the last steam engine built was for each of the major railway works. So far, I've found out the following:

 

Ashford: 8674, LMS Stanier 8F
Brighton: 80154, BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T
Crewe: 92250, BR Standard Class 9F
Darlington: 78064, BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0

Derby: 73154, BR Standard Class 5 4-6-0
Doncaster: 76114, BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0
Eastleigh: ?
Gorton: 61349, LNER Thompson B1
Horwich: ?
Stratford: ?, GER N7
Swindon: 92220, BR Standard Class 9F

 

As I said, this started as a bit of fun, so I'm certain I've missed a few works sites.

Edited June 10, 2020 by GWRSwindon

[Steven B]

Horwich's last steam locomotive was a Standard Class 4 2-6-0 No 76099 built in 1957. Loco construction didn't end though - nearly 170 08 shunters were also built there.

 

Steven B.

[Compound2632]

What about the private builders? I know that the last steam locomotives built by Peckett were a couple of narrow-gauge 0-6-0Ts for the Sena Sugar Co. of Marromeu, Mozambique.

 

Of course steam locomotives continued to be built elsewhere in the world and, indeed, continue to be built in Britain - so some digging around needed to find the most recently commissioned new locomotive, at least if one includes narrow gauge.

[Marshall5]

The 750mm gauge 0-4-2ST Trangkil #4, built by Hunslets in 1971, is commonly regarded as the last steam loco built in Britain for commercial use.  It was re-imported from Java some years ago and restored to running order at Statfold Barn.

Ray.

[TheQ]

LochGorm Works, Highland railways, Class W, 0-4-4T 1906 Number 46

[Compound2632]

13 minutes ago, Marshall5 said:

the last steam loco built in Britain for commercial use. 

 

Isn't Tornado used commercially?

[Compound2632]

Just now, TheQ said:

LochGorm Works, Highland railways, Class W, 0-4-4T 1906 Number 46

 

Right. Now we're going for the earliest closed works! The last locomotive built at Wolverton was one of McConnell's "Express Goods" 0-6-0s, No. 1075, completed September 1863. There must be earlier, although a number of works that closed early on due to amalgamations probably never built a new locomotive, as in those early days most were bough in from the private manufacturers. Not that these works closed - like Wolverton, they were turned over to rolling stock building. The Birmingham & Gloucester's works at Bromsgrove are another example, that finished its days as a wagon repair shop.

[Wheatley]

St Rollox - LMS 4F 4476 (at least that was the highest numbered of the batch), 1928.

 

Inverurie - GNSR Class F No.45 "George Davidson", 1921.

 

 

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, God's Wonderful Railway 1835 said:

Not to me as I think it is high day and holiday engine and, to be used commercially I would expect it to work at least an average of 4 days a week all year around. Also no one works built the engine as in the past it would have been the case.

 

In that case, a locomotive such as the Lynton & Barnstaple's Lyn would qualify? 

 

Apart from locomotives specifically built for a railway around a gentleman's private pleasure grounds, it seems to me all new-build locomotives are being used commercially - that is, they are expected to earn their keep, or at least, to be part of an operation that has as at least one of its objectives breaking even.

[exet1095]

Boston Lodge is still turning out Fairlies. The rate is not high, but ‘James Spooner’ is well under way, ready to replace ‘Earl of Merioneth’, completed in the same works in 1979. ‘Merddyn Emrys’ was built there in 1879, and the now NRM-based ‘Livingston Thompson’ in 1885. There is also ‘David Lloyd George’ of 1992. And as for a heavy rebuild, the regulator handle of scrapped ‘Taliesin’ (Vulcan Foundry, 1876) was magically regenerated by Boston Lodge in 1999. There is also ‘Lyd’.

 

and Ffestiniog engines are expected to earn their keep. The railway requires at least two Fairlies in steam to pull trains almost every day it is running, and mileages are high.

 

Paul

[Steamport Southport]

2 hours ago, God's Wonderful Railway 1835 said:

Not to me as I think it is high day and holiday engine and, to be used commercially I would expect it to work at least an average of 4 days a week all year around. Also no one works built the engine as in the past it would have been the case.

 

What about the SECR L Class. Part built in Germany but erected in Ashford.

 

Some Bulleid Pacifics were part built in Ashford and Brighton but completed at Eastleigh. That's also the answer to the Eastleigh one, WCs and MNs (plus most of the rebuilds were done there if you consider the rebuilds as being new engines, some people do).

 

It's where the frames were erected that matters. In the case of Tornado it was built in Darlington. The rest is just parts which are interchangeable with others. For example it's going to share boilers with the P2.

 

 

 

Jason

[Steamport Southport]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Right. Now we're going for the earliest closed works! The last locomotive built at Wolverton was one of McConnell's "Express Goods" 0-6-0s, No. 1075, completed September 1863. There must be earlier, although a number of works that closed early on due to amalgamations probably never built a new locomotive, as in those early days most were bough in from the private manufacturers. Not that these works closed - like Wolverton, they were turned over to rolling stock building. The Birmingham & Gloucester's works at Bromsgrove are another example, that finished its days as a wagon repair shop.

 

Wasn't there a locomotive works at Edge Hill for the Liverpool & Manchester? Closed pretty early.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_Hill_railway_works

 

 

 

Jason

[luckymucklebackit]

3 hours ago, Wheatley said:

St Rollox - LMS 4F 4476 (at least that was the highest numbered of the batch), 1928.

 

Inverurie - GNSR Class F No.45 "George Davidson", 1921.

 

 

 

How about Cowlairs?  One of the NBR "Glens"

 

Jim

[Bomag]

Statford, 1924 LNER (exGod's Electric Railway) e999. 7999, (6)9621 

[lanchester]

So which new-build Works are we missing so far? Off the top of my head I've got Gateshead and York (NER), Kilmarnock (GSWR), Cardiff (Taff Vale) , Longhedge (LCDR), Nine Elms (LSWR). Did we mention Gorton (GCR)?

I don't think the Rhymney actually did any new build at Caerphilly? Did the MGNJR at Melton Constable, or the HBJR at Springhead, or the Cambrian at Oswestry? Did the L&YR build at Miles Platting, before Horwich was opened? They all probably had the capability - after all, the Lambton Collieries built several 0-6-0 tender engines, boilers included, at Philadelphia.

And in very early days engines might have been built, or perhaps 'assembled' in other places - Edge Hill as mentioned above, or the first GNR works at Boston, perhaps?

[Wheatley]

2 hours ago, luckymucklebackit said:

 

How about Cowlairs?  One of the NBR "Glens"

 

Jim

I did look for Cowlairs, honest, but the best I could could find was "ceased after Grouping" with no detail. Still looking for Kilmarnock (G&SWR), there must be others which went much earlier. 

 

Wigtown - rebuild of Wigtownshire Railway No.1 from 0-6-0T to 0-4-2WT in the goods shed in 1883. WR No.4 had similarly been rebuilt twice before that so not a one-off but hardly a major works. Does that count ?  

Edited June 10, 2020 by Wheatley

[JimC]

Taff Vale rail motor No 1, 1903, at Cardiff West Yard.

 

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, JimC said:

Taff Vale rail motor No 1, 1903, at Cardiff West Yard.

 

 

The only locomotive built at Barrow was also a rail motor, in 1905. All other Furness engines were built by the trade.

[Wickham Green too]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

What about the SECR L Class. Part built in Germany but erected in Ashford.

Ten were built by Borsig in Berlin and erected - by Borsig staff - at Ashford ...... the other twelve came from Beyer Peacock.

[The Johnster]

Plenty of fun here, GWRSwindon, you've opened a right old can of worms...

 

Maybe the thread would benefit from some definitions, and here are my suggestions.  No doubt other possibly better suggestions will follow...  GWRSwindon was trying to determine what 'was the last steam engine built was for each of the major railway works' .  So first we need to delineate the meaning of 'major railway works'.  I contend that this means railway owned workshops, so outside contractors like Hunslet or North British are off the table.  He's also specifed major railway, and this lets out Boston Lodge despite the main line leanings of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland.  I would define 'Major Railway' as BR, the Big 4, and the Big 4 constituent companies but not the absorbed ones, and arguably Acton for London Transport. 

 

Even this doesn't pin it down enough; do we regard Edge Hill and the L & M as a constituent of the LNWR along with the London and Birmingham and the Grand Junction, and thus in the frame?  I'd say not, but what about Wolverton and Wolverhampton, both of which constructed locomotives and remained in business well into BR days.

 

What is a locomotive.  We need to define this because some workshops erected locomotives from parts built elsewhere.  They all did to some extent; the Flaman speed recorder on Mallard was not built at Doncaster, and I doubt the component that did most of the work,  the fireman's shovel, was, either.  Crewe in particular recycled parts of old locos into  new ones, and I read many years ago that it was suspected that some of the axles on Patriots, themselves in part rebuilds of Claughtons, might have started their working lives on the Grand Junction 80 years before.  The loco currently carrying Flying Scotsman's nameplates probably consists of a very small amount of the 1923 build that was shown at Wembley apart from the nameplates; it's Trigger's broom.

[Compound2632]

I don't think one should exclude the trade - they certainly had 'major railway works' the annual output of which dwarfed all but a handful of the railway company works. In 1907, NBL was the 49th largest employer in the United Kingdom - but the largest rolling stock manufacturer, Metropolitan, came 27th, having nearly twice as many employees. Both firms were the result of early 20th century amalgamations, as the industry consolidated in the face of a levelling off in demand.

[Halvarras]

Since 0-6-0PTs 9400-9 were the last locomotives built at Swindon Works in GWR days I've always thought that for its historical significance it should be 9409 on display in the STEAM Museum there instead of 9400.

At the other end of the build I have read that 3409 was the last main line steam locomotive built for BR by private contractors. Makes sense, it wasn't constructed until 1956. Hmm, I wonder which BR emblem would have been applied to the sides of the last few then.....?

[Wickham Green too]

Ah ..... but nationalisation was an irrelevance as far as Swindon was concerned - merely a re-branding from 'Railway' to 'Region'.

 

Last loco built at Longhedge was the ninth 'C' class* constructed there : No.481 in April 1904.

* or 'B3' in Chatham terminology

Edited June 11, 2020 by Wickham Green too
clarification

[The Johnster]

13 hours ago, Neil Phillips said:

Since 0-6-0PTs 9400-9 were the last locomotives built at Swindon Works in GWR days I've always thought that for its historical significance it should be 9409 on display in the STEAM Museum there instead of 9400.

At the other end of the build I have read that 3409 was the last main line steam locomotive built for BR by private contractors. Makes sense, it wasn't constructed until 1956. Hmm, I wonder which BR emblem would have been applied to the sides of the last few then.....?

It must have been a unicycling lion, with black backed number plates, in 1956, but it definitely had a ferret and dartboard when I remember it at Radyr in the 60s, so it must have had at least one overhaul in it's short working life.  I've modelled Tondu's 8448, delivered new to the shed in 1954 and withdrawn from the shed in early 1959, never overhualed or allox anywhere else.  Currently a Limbach but the number plates'll be xfer to the new Bachmann when it comes.

[Wickham Green too]

Steamport has given part of the answer for the LSWR workshops : 34110 was the last Light Pacific to enter traffic in January '51 ( a whole six months after 34109 ! ) and the last rebuild was 34108 in April '61 ( approx two weeks after 34096 ) ........ the final loco completed at Nine Elms in 1908 was a little smaller than those - BUT it is available ready-to run in 4mm scale if you wish to celebrate its place in history : B4 No.84 ( BR condition ).