Portland dockyard locomotives

[Guest Jack Benson]

During the ‘70s, the view from my desk in FOST was an old building known as the ‘engine shed’ there were rails embedded in the floor but little else remained. My initial draft to Portland coincided with the final demolition train and my lasting memory is of black tank wagons alongside the fuel farm located along the causeway road and the nascent air station.   

 

Inquiries at the Portland Museum revealed very little about the dockyard railway except a list of locos which needs explanation and direction to a publication which provided a simple sketch of the dockyard lines.

 

A query has been sent to those helpful folk at the IRS but perhaps someone can decipher some of the abbreviations contained in the list, please? Any further information would be appreciated.  
 

[Moxy]

The two columns after the number wheels are cylinders (in the case of the steam locos) and the makers, followed by what I assume are the makers' numbers.

 

'OC' means outside cylinders.

'WB' W G Bagnall

'P' Peckett

'AB' Andrew Barclay

'JF' John Fowler

[br2975]

The notes with which you have been provided are an extract (direct lift) from an Industrial Railway Society publication.

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In each such publication there will be an appendix  ( Explanatory Notes ) indicatiing the meaning of each abbreviation.

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In addition, there will be a chapter outlining ALL locos in that IRS book, listed by their builder ( Locomotive Builders ).

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There will also be a further chapter usually giving details of each loco ( Locomotive Index )

Allowing for slight differences in IRS books, this section usually outlines the 

(a) Builders works number

(b) The date ex-works

(c)  The gauge of the loco

(d) The Whyte notoation eg 0-4-0ST or 0-6-0PT

(e) Cylinder details eg OC, IC, VBG

(f) Cylinder dimensions, diameter x stroke in inches e.g. 14 x 22

(g) Driving/coupled wheel diameter

(h) Rigid/coupled wheelbase

(i) Weight

(j) Engine class - something not used by all builders, but say an Avonside SS or B3

(k) And finally, the pages within that book that you will find that particular loco

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The notes (a) and (b) indicate the previous owner(s0 of the locomotives

"New" indicates the loco was delivered new to the site

The notes (1) through to (7) indicate the subsequent owners of each  individual loco to which that particular note ( i.e. (1), (2) etc ) refers.

The notation s/s suggests the locomotive was either 'sold' or 'scrapped' its' ultimate fate being unrecorded

Edited July 1, 2021 by br2975

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

That sounds about right, my sources were the CRS, Portland Museum and Lucking's 'Railways of Dorset'

 

Unfortunately none seem to have any images, apart from a general distant view, of the dockyard railway.

 

Not found an image of the Bagnall, latterly  at Hamworthy nor the Peckett at Ward's in Ringwood and can only speculate that the latter may have been an earlier build than 1898 as nothing in mentioned in the Peckett list on Wiki

 

Thanks to all

[Artless Bodger]

Have a look at The Oakwood Press, no 106A "Isle of Portland Railways, volume one, The Admiralty and Quarry Railways" by B. L. Jackson.

 

Plan of Admiralty Siding on p118.

Photo of Barclay no 8 decorated for a Navy Day in 1961 on p120.

Photo of no 8 in T. J. Ward scrapyard 20/10/63.

Etc.

Quite a few photos of the breakwater under construction, stone wagons etc, coaling pier.