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Ruston

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Blog Entries posted by Ruston

  1. Ruston

    Small Heath No.2

    By Ruston,


    A
    This Andrew Barclay 16-inch 0-4-0ST arrived under its own steam in May 1974, from Small Heath power station, where it had been displaced by diesels. It worked for a few weeks before being sold for preservation. It now resides in the private collection of pig-farming magnate Sir John Taylor.
     

  2. Ruston

    ICI Ruston 88DS

    By Ruston,


    A
    This 20-ton Ruston 88DS was sold for scrap after the ICI works at which it was used ceased to use rail traffic. It had been well-maintained by the ICI fitters and, instead of being cut up, was put on the sale or hire list at Strong's. It spent some time in use as the yard shunter and also shunting the Watery Lane works of Metal Box Ltd.

    It was later sold for preservation but, as is so often the case, was cast aside as soon as the railway got ideas above its station and started to run an ex-BR steam loco. The Ruston was sold back to Strong but this time it was not so lucky and became razor blades and Rover 75s.

  3. Ruston

    Gasworks Peckett

    By Ruston,


    A
    Another one that had a short career at Strongs was this 14-inch Special Peckett. It was built in 1899 for use at a gasworks in the London area and after several changes of ownership ended up at a gasworks in Saltley, from where Strong purchased it for scrap. It saw limited use at Garrison Lane before being sold to the Harboro Stone Company of Derbyshire. This rare shot, by Terence Torrity, shows it shunting scrap at Watery Lane Sidings.

  4. Ruston

    Unidentified Peckett W4

    By Ruston,


    A
    Little is known about this one as it seemingly appeared and disappeared. Fortunately, it was recorded on film by Gordon Eggert on one of his visits of various industrial railway sites around the Midlands. As can be seen, it was clearly not in working order as the rods were missing and the whole thing looked to be in a sorry state. A group of IRS members, including Rob Carvill and R.K. Shell, noted it as being outside the cutting area on the 5th of May 1970, but were unable to identify it. Presumed scrapped or sold by June 1970.

     
  5. Ruston

    Ruston & Hornsby 165DE (2nd)

    By Ruston,


    A
    This was the second of its type known to have worked at Strong's yard and the adjacent Watery Lane Sidings. It arrived with another of the same type in 1979, from a steel stockholders in Wednesbury. The other was overhauled and sent to work at The White Peak Limestone & Tarmacadam Co., another Shelby company. The one that remained worked on and off at Strongs between hirings as part of the Shelby hire fleet. Fate unknown, presumed scrapped or sold by 1985.

  6. Ruston

    The Green Peckett

    By Ruston,


    A
    Never named or numbered, this Peckett had worked at a chemical at Oldbury until being displaced by diesels. It was still in working order and had a boiler ticket when it came to Strongs, due to it having been kept as a spare at the chemical works. A re-organisation and take-over there meant the transport manager, who had a soft spot for the engine, retired and it was sold for scrap. It was used often at Strong's, especially in the winter of 78/79 when fuel froze in the diesel locomotives. It was eventually retired and sold to to be plinthed as "Percy" at a Thomas The Tank Engine theme park.

  7. Ruston

    Rolls-Royce 0-6-0DH

    By Ruston,


    A
    Originally built for use at a steel rolling mill, this Rolls-Royce moved around a lot during its life. It even spent time working at a scrapyard in Rotherham. IRS records are unclear as to when it arrived and left Strong's, but it was photographed at least twice in 1983. Once parked in the yard and once shunting the adjacent Metal Box sidings.

  8. Ruston

    Andrew Barclay 153HP DM

    By Ruston,


    A
    This 0-4-0 diesel-mechanical was bought from an explosives works, near Coventry. It had originally been built for the war effort and is believed to have landed on the D-Day beaches. After returning to the UK it was sold out of WD service and through a dealer ended up at the explosives works. Strong purchased the entire site and scrapped everything there. The loco was used to move wagons around the site during the demolition and was eventually brought to the yard for further use. It proved to be a very reliable locomotive and was used for many years until the Gardner engine suffered a broken crankshaft. That was the end for the Barclay, which was cut up, sometime in 1982.

  9. Ruston
    This 0-4-0DE was built in 1958 and was supplied to a steel rolling mill at Bromford Bridge. Upon closure of the works, in 1976, it was acquired by Strong's and brought by lorry to the yard, where it was inspected and passed fit to run. It wasn't a popular locomotive with the crews as the fly cranks kept hitting scrap that was lying near the tracks. The generator suffered a flashover a few months after arriving and after a couple of weeks lying idle it was despatched.

  10. Ruston

    4mm Black Hawthorn

    By Ruston,

    One of my own projects, for my next layout.
     
    It is the High Level kit of a Black Hawthorn 0-4-0ST. I got the bulk of the bodywork done, yesterday, but that's always the easy part, isn't it?

    This kit is based on Wellington (former Holwell No.3) I am going to fit disc wheels, as on Bauxite No.2, in the NRM. Although Bauxite appears to be a slightly smaller loco I just like to be different. It will also have block buffers as these will be neccesary on the new layout, where rolling stock will be a mixture of standard RCH wagons and inside-framed dumb-buffered internal use wagons.The great thing about this loco is that the real Wellington was built in the 1870s and had an almost 100 year working life before preservation, so I can use it on my more modern layouts too.
  11. Ruston

    Ruston & Hornsby LSSE 0-6-0DE

    By Ruston,


    A
    This 275HP diesel-electric arrived at the yard in 1977. It had originally been ordered by the MOD but as its electric transmission made it non-standard with their similar hydraulic locomotives it was put into store until being sold as surplus. It worked at the yard for a short period before being sent out as part of the Shelby hire fleet. Its fate remains unknown.

  12. Ruston
    This engine was built in 1965 and worked at British Leyland, Swindon, before becoming surplus to requirements. It arrived at Strong's yard in 1979 in full working order and after a time working the yard was added to the hire fleet. It was easy to drive and powerful, with a Twin Disc torque convertor and Leyland O.680 engine.

  13. Ruston
    This locomotive was formerly owned by the Central Electricity Generating Board and worked at a small power station in Yorkshire.  Strong purchased it, along with much of the scrap when the power station closed in 1975. It was used for several years in the yard, before moving to another company within the Shelby Group. Its ultimate fate is unknown.

     

  14. Ruston

    Brush-Bagnall 0-6-0DE

    By Ruston,


    A
    This huge locomotive, built in 1955 at the works of W.G. Bagnall of Stafford, should have been cut up on site at the colliery where it had worked in South Wales, but a mix-up in paperwork saw it arrive one day as part of the trip freight from Small Heath yard. It had travelled as part of several British Rail good services with its rods off and its appearance was a complete surprise to the staff at Watery Lane. It was the most powerful locomotive to have worked at Strong's and was fitted with a 400HP National Gas & Oil 6-cylinder diesel engine.

    It's working life at Strong's was short as it spent most of the time stored in the shed. It was sold to an operator in Italy and is believed to have since been preserved there.

  15. Ruston

    Ruston 88DS

    By Ruston,


    A
    This Ruston & Hornsby 88DS was built in 1951 for the White Peak Limestone and Tarmacadam Co. Ltd, for use at their roadstone coating plant, near Matlock. It isn't known exactly when it arrived at Small Heath, but it must have been after the take-over of WPL&T by The Shelby Group as it was already carrying a Shelby logo when it arrived. It seems that it was sent to the Watery Lane workshop for repairs and was exchanged with another loco and stayed at Watery Lane and Strong's scrapyard.
     
    After rail traffic ceased at Strong's, it was parked in the former Midland goods and grain warehouse and was missed by the Strong's men and the contractors who cleared the site after closure and clearance of the yard. A group of IRS members visited the goods and grain warehouse in 2002. By this time it was being used by a tyre fitting company and the loco was found under a thick layer of dust and a pile of used tyres! It is still there but several attempts by enthusiasts to purchase it have failed due to the owner of the site thinking that it is worth far more than it really is.
     

     
     
     
     
     
  16. Ruston
    This saddletank was new in 1941 and worked at a munitions factory in North Wales. It was later sold to a gas works, near Worcester and when replaced by diesels in 1961, was stored in its shed. A run-down of the works, just before the coming of north sea gas, saw all the equipment sold for scrap and the loco was acquired by Strong in 1973. It was named Polly Gray and put to work occasionally right up until 1982, when it was presented to the Chasewater Railway. You won't find it there as it is off-site at a private location, undergoing a complete overhaul.

  17. Ruston
    I have buil models of the Ruston & Hornsby 48DS type in 2mm,4mm, 7mm, Gauge One and now Gauge 3. This is my first build of anything in this scale and it's hard work. The nickel silver sheet that the frames and brake components are made from is so thick and hard that I have had to abandon the usual methods of removing parts from the frets and resort to a hammer and chisel!
     
    It will be driven by a large Mashima motor/Slaters gearbox that is usually fitted into large mainline type locos in O gauge, via delrin chains and sprockets to both axles. No means of mounting the power unit is provided in the kit, so I'm going to have to get creative and probably make some patterns for profile-milling.

     
    And just to illustrate the size of this thing, here is one of my own builds, a K's 4mm scale Hunslet contractor's loco, sat on the frames of the Ruston.

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