Ashford railway works

Last updated

Ashford Railway Works...Derelict - panoramio.jpg

Ashford railway works was a major locomotive and wagon construction and repair workshop in Ashford, Kent in England. Constructed by the South Eastern Railway in 1847, it became a major centre for railway works in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After years of decline, it closed in 1982.

Contents

History

South Eastern Railway

Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway on a new 185-acre (75 ha) site in 1847, replacing an earlier locomotive repair facility at New Cross in London. [1] By 1850 over 130 houses had been built for staff (called Alfred Town by the railway but New Town by everybody else). [2] The works employed about 600 people in 1851 increasing to about 950 by 1861, and around 1,300 by 1882. [3] A carriage and wagon works was opened on an adjacent 32-acre (13 ha) site in 1850. [4] The works led Ashford to be the largest industrial town in east Kent. [5]

South Eastern and Chatham Railway

Up Holiday express from Ramsgate entering Margate station Margate station geograph-2641334-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Up Holiday express from Ramsgate entering Margate station

On 1 January 1899, the railway entered into a working union with the London Chatham and Dover Railway, forming the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). [6] [7] Each antecedent company had its own locomotive works, but Ashford was larger than Longhedge works and so became the principal locomotive works for the new organisation. The latter facility was gradually run down and converted into a subsidiary works. [7] [8] [9] The N class 2-6-0 locomotive was first constructed at Ashford in 1917, using a design by Richard Maunsell. [10]

Southern Railway and British Railways

Following the grouping of the SECR with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the London and South Western Railway to form the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923, most new locomotive and carriage design and construction was transferred to both Ashford and Eastleigh Works. [11] Ashford continued to operate both building and servicing locomotives and wagons until well after the nationalisation of the railways to form British Railways in 1948.

The locomotive workshops eventually closed on 16 June 1962, the last locomotive to be repaired at Ashford being the N class-2-6-0 no. 31400 on 9 June. [12] The wagon works continued for a further two decades [4] producing continental ferry vans, Freightliner vehicles, merry-go-round coal hopper wagons and the Cartic4 articulated car transporter. [13] [9] It became one of British Rail Engineering Limited's main wagon works, but as trade declined, primarily the construction of wagons for export markets, it operated on an ever-decreasing scale until it closed down in 1982. [4]

Redevelopment

The site has sat derelict since closure. Ashford International Studios, a multi media studio, commercial and residential complex, is planned to be built on the site and opening in 2026. [14]

Motive power depot

Ex-LB&SCR D3/M No. 2380 at Ashford Locomotive Depot 7 July 1946 Ashford Locomotive Depot geograph-2653323-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Ex-LB&SCR D3/M No. 2380 at Ashford Locomotive Depot 7 July 1946

The SER opened a locomotive depot at Ashford in December 1842, sited to the East of the station adjacent to the works. This was demolished in 1931, when the SR built a much larger facility on the other side of the main line. This was closed to steam locomotives in 1962, but used to service diesels until 1968. Thereafter it was used for the Ashford Steam Centre for a period, but has now been demolished. [15]

Locomotive building at Ashford

Ex-LB&SCR A1X 0-6-0T at Ashford Locomotive Depot Ashford Locomotive Depot A1X 0-6-0T geograph-2983959-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Ex-LB&SCR A1X 0-6-0T at Ashford Locomotive Depot

In 1853 the Locomotive Superintendent James I. Cudworth built the first of ten 'Hastings' class 2-4-0 locomotives there. In 1855 these were followed by two freight engines. (An unusual feature of these was a dual firebox, each side fired alternately.) Over the next twenty years, Cudworth built 53 freight locomotives at Ashford and around 80 larger ones with six foot driving wheels, plus the first eight of his sixteen express passenger locos, the 'Mails', with seven foot drivers. He also produced four classes of 0-6-0 tank locomotives. [1]

In 1878 James Stirling, the brother of Patrick Stirling of the Great Northern Railway took over and introduced a deal of standardisation. He believed in the benefits of the bogie and produced a class of 4-4-0 with six foot drivers and his '0' class freight with five foot drivers. He also produced over a hundred 0-4-4 tank engines, and in 1898 the 4-4-0 'B' Class. [16]

The first Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was H.S. Wainwright who produced a series of successful and elegant designs at Ashford. Wainwright's tender engines built at Ashford included 0-6-0 freight locomotives of the 'C' class, and the 4-4-0 passenger engines of the 'D' and 'E' classes. His tank engines built at the works included the versatile and long-lived 0-4-4 'H' class, the larger 0-6-4 'J' class and the diminutive 0-6-0 tank engines of the 'P' class. Wainwright was followed by Richard Maunsell, who introduced the ultimately unsuccessful 'K' class 2-6-4 mixed traffic tank locomotives (which were later rebuilt into 2-6-0 tender locomotives), and the useful 'N' class 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives in 1917.

However, more of the 'N' class locomotives were produced at the works, and parts for 'K' class locos that were assembled by Armstrong Whitworth of Newcastle upon Tyne. [16] In 1942 the works also built twenty of the Bulleid 'Q1' class 0-6-0, the remainder being built at Brighton Works. [17] During the later war years the works also built a number of the LMS 8F type 2-8-0 freight locomotives for the War Department. [18] The last of the 639 steam locomotives built there [13] was LMSR 2-8-0 No. 8674. [9]

In 1937 it was involved with in the English Electric company in the construction of three experimental diesel-electric shunters [19] [20] and after the war, Ashford Works continued manufacturing a further series of 350  hp 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunters. [21] Under British Railways Ashford Works built the first two of the Southern Region prototype 1Co-Co1 diesel electric locomotives of the D16/2 class numbered 10201 and 10202 in 1951. [13] In 1962 all locomotive production and repairs were moved to Eastleigh. [13] [9]

Locomotive classes built at Ashford

ClassWheel
arrangement
BuiltTotalNotesRef
South Eastern Railway: James Cudworth (160)
"Coffee Pot"0-4-0T18501First loco completed at Ashford. Vertical boiler [22]
"Hastings" class2-4-01853–5410First locos entirely built at Ashford. [23]
"Standard goods" (I)0-6-01855–7653 [24]
"Little Mails"2-2-21856–576 [25]
"Little Sharps"2-4-01858–596some parts from old Sharp, Roberts engines [26]
Coupled Express or 118 class (E)2-4-01859–7568 [27]
"Mail Singles" (B)2-2-218612 [28]
205 class (G)0-4-2WT1863–642 [29]
"Mail Singles" (P)2-2-21865–666 [28]
73 class (H)0-4-2WT1867–696 [30]
South Eastern Railway: Richard Mansell (15)
Folkestone Harbour tanks (K)0-6-0T18773 [31]
"Gunboats" (M)0-4-4T1877-789 [32]
59 class (N)0-6-018793 [33]
South Eastern Railway: James Stirling (239)
A class 4-4-01879-8112 [34]
Q class 0-4-4T1881-9548 [35]
O class 0-6-01882-9957last 5 built by SE&CR [36]
F class 4-4-01883-9888 [37]
R class 0-6-0T1888-9825 [38]
B class 4-4-01898-999last 5 built by SE&CR [39]
South Eastern & Chatham Railway: Harry Wainwright (196)
C class 0-6-01900-0870 [40]
D class 4-4-01901-0721 [41]
H class 0-4-4T1904-1566last 2 built during Maunsell's term [42]
E class 4-4-01906-0926 [43]
P class 0-6-0T1909-108 [44]
J class 0-6-4T19135 [45]
South Eastern & Chatham Railway, Southern Railway: Richard Maunsell (118 steam; 3 Diesel)
K class 2-6-4T19171 [46]
N class 2-6-01917-348050 were commenced at Woolwich Arsenal and completed at Ashford [47]
N1 class 2-6-01923-306 [48]
K1 class 2-6-4T19251 [49]
U class 2-6-01928–3120 [46]
W class 2-6-4T1935-3610 [50]
SR nos. 1-3 0-6-0DE19373Diesel-electric. Power equipment manufactured and fitted by English Electric at Preston [19] [20]
Southern Railway and British Railways: later designs (34 steam; 29 Diesel; 3 electric)
SR class CC Co-Co1941-483Electric. Power equipment manufactured by English Electric [51]
SR class Q1 0-6-0194220Designed by Oliver Bulleid [17]
LMS class 8F 2-8-01943-4414Built to Railway Executive Committee order for use on London, Midland and Scottish Railway [18]
BR nos. 15211-36 0-6-0DE1949-5226Diesel-electric. Power equipment manufactured by English Electric [21]
BR no. 11001 0-6-0DM19501Diesel-mechanical. Power equipment manufactured by Paxman [52]
BR nos. 10201-2 1Co-Co11950-512Diesel-electric. Power equipment manufactured by English Electric [53]

The class letters were allotted to older classes by James Stirling in September 1879. Classes without such a letter were either extinct, or in the process of withdrawal at that date. [54]

Altogether, Ashford built 711 complete steam locomotives and finished 51 which were commenced elsewhere. There were 32 diesel and three electric locomotives, all of which incorporated parts made by outside contractors.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Larkin & Larkin 1988, p. 92.
  2. Turner 1984, p. 76.
  3. Andrews 2000, p. 76.
  4. 1 2 3 Larkin 1992, p. 134.
  5. Armstrong 1995, p. 120.
  6. Nock 1971, p. 125.
  7. 1 2 Lowe 1989, p. 593.
  8. Lowe 1989, p. 403.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Larkin 1992, p. 26.
  10. Wragg 2003, p. 90.
  11. Wragg 2003, pp. 82, 90.
  12. Bradley 1980, p. 100.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Larkin & Larkin 1988, p. 94.
  14. "Multi million pound 'Netflix" film studio development in Ashford takes major step forward". ITV News. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  15. Griffiths & Smith 1999, p. 59.
  16. 1 2 Larkin & Larkin 1988, p. 93.
  17. 1 2 Bradley 1975, pp. 59–65.
  18. 1 2 Haresnape 1981, p. 66.
  19. 1 2 Bradley 1975, pp. 51–53.
  20. 1 2 Marsden 1984, pp. 8–9.
  21. 1 2 Marsden 1984, pp. 28–31.
  22. Bradley 1985, p. 79.
  23. Bradley 1985, pp. 88–90.
  24. Bradley 1985, pp. 91–98.
  25. Bradley 1985, pp. 87–88.
  26. Bradley 1985, pp. 100–101.
  27. Bradley 1985, pp. 101–112.
  28. 1 2 Bradley 1985, pp. 113–119.
  29. Bradley 1985, pp. 119–121.
  30. Bradley 1985, pp. 123–125.
  31. Bradley 1985, pp. 132–133.
  32. Bradley 1985, pp. 134–136.
  33. Bradley 1985, pp. 136–137.
  34. Bradley 1985, pp. 139–143.
  35. Bradley 1985, pp. 160–171.
  36. Bradley 1985, pp. 144–159.
  37. Bradley 1985, pp. 171–193.
  38. Bradley 1985, pp. 193–204.
  39. Bradley 1985, pp. 204–216.
  40. Bradley 1980, pp. 8–14.
  41. Bradley 1980, pp. 14–22.
  42. Bradley 1980, pp. 23–27.
  43. Bradley 1980, pp. 38–45.
  44. Bradley 1980, pp. 33–38.
  45. Bradley 1980, pp. 45–48.
  46. 1 2 Bradley 1980, pp. 66–82.
  47. Bradley 1980, pp. 82–102.
  48. Bradley 1980, pp. 113–115.
  49. Bradley 1980, pp. 115–122.
  50. Bradley 1980, pp. 127–130.
  51. Marsden 1984, pp. 260–261.
  52. Marsden 1984, pp. 22–23.
  53. Marsden 1984, pp. 20–21.
  54. Bradley 1985, p. 15.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 12</span>

The British Rail Class 12 is a diesel locomotive built primarily for shunting duties around London.

The Southern Railway took a key role in expanding the 660 V DC third rail electrified network begun by the London & South Western Railway. As a result of this, and its smaller operating area, its steam locomotive stock was the smallest of the 'Big Four' companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SR W class</span>

The SR Class W were 3-cylinder 2-6-4T tank engines designed in 1929 by Richard Maunsell for use on the Southern Railway. They were introduced in 1932 and constructed at Eastleigh and Ashford. The class was intended for short distance, inter-company/regional freight traffic transfer in London, and were standardised with parts from the N, N1, U and U1 classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton railway works</span>

Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon. The works grew steadily between 1841 and 1900 but efficient operation was always hampered by the restricted site, and there were several plans to close it and move the facility elsewhere. Nevertheless, between 1852 and 1957 more than 1200 steam locomotives as well as prototype diesel electric and electric locomotives were constructed there, before the eventual closure of the facility in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SECR C class</span>

The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) C Class is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive, designed by Harry Wainwright and built between 1900 and 1908. They were designed for freight duties, although occasionally used for passenger trains. They operated over the lines of the railway in London and south-east England until the early 1960s. One example was rebuilt as an S Class saddle tank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class D3/12</span>

British Rail class D3/12 was a class of three experimental diesel-electric shunting locomotives designed by Richard Maunsell of the Southern Railway in 1937. They quickly proved their effectiveness, but the Second World War prevented more of them being built. Oliver Bulleid based the British Rail Class 12 on them in 1949.

Harry Smith Wainwright was an English railway engineer, and was the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1899 to 1913. He is best known for a series of simple but competent locomotives produced under his direction at the company's Ashford railway works in the early years of the twentieth century. Many of these survived in service until the end of steam traction in Britain in 1968, and are regarded as some of the most elegant designs of the period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SER O class</span>

The South Eastern Railway (SER) O Class was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work, and were the main freight engines of the SER, and later the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) for a number of years. However, they were displaced by the more powerful C class locomotives following the amalgamation of the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) in 1899. This relegated the class to working on the numerous branch lines in Kent, on both passenger and freight work. They worked most notably on the Kent & East Sussex Railway and East Kent Railway, operating coal trains from the Kent coal fields to London, as well as shunting work at such locations as Shepherds Well, Hoo Junction and Ashford. The majority were withdrawn before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and those that remained were slowly withdrawn from nationalisation onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Class D40</span>

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) D40 class is a type of 4-4-0 steam locomotive inherited from the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR). It consisted of GNSR class V and GNSR class F. The two classes were similar but the class F was superheated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SECR N class</span> Class of English steam locomotives

The SECR N class was a type of 2-6-0 ("mogul") steam locomotive designed in 1914 by Richard Maunsell for mixed-traffic duties on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). Built between 1917 and 1934, it was the first non-Great Western Railway (GWR) type to use and improve upon the basic design principles established by GWR Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) George Jackson Churchward. The N class was based on the GWR 4300 Class design, improved with Midland Railway concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratford Works</span>

Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. The original site of the works was located in the 'V' between the Great Eastern Main Line and the Stratford to Lea Bridge route and in the early years was also the home of Stratford Locomotive Depot. The final part of the works closed in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SECR D class</span>

The SECR D class is a class of 4-4-0 tender locomotives designed by Harry Wainwright for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SECR B1 class</span>

The SECR B1 class was a class of 4-4-0 steam tender locomotive for express passenger service on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. These engines were originally designed by James Stirling for the South Eastern Railway (SER) in 1898 and designated B class. The SER was merged into the SECR in 1899 and, between 1910 and 1927 the B class engines were rebuilt with new boilers by Harry Wainwright to become B1 class.

James Stirling (1835–1917) was a Scottish mechanical engineer. He was Locomotive Superintendent of the Glasgow and South Western Railway and later the South Eastern Railway. Stirling was born on 2 October 1835, a son of Robert Stirling, rector of Galston, East Ayrshire.

James I'Anson Cudworth was an English railway engineer, and was Locomotive Superintendent of the South Eastern Railway (SER). He served in this capacity from 1845 to 1876. He is notable for designing a successful method for burning coal in steam locomotives without significant emission of smoke, and for introducing the 0-4-4T wheel arrangement to English railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LCDR R1 class</span>

The LCDR R1 class was a class of 0-4-4T locomotives on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR), which were based on an existing London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SECR J class</span>

The SECR J class was a class of 0-6-4T steam tank locomotive built for heavy freight service on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, by Harry Wainwright.

The SECR Q1 class was a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotives of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. The class was rebuilt from older Stirling Q class locomotives by Harry Wainwright between 1903 and 1917 by fitting the boiler that had been designed for the H class 0-4-4T in 1902–03.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SER Q class</span>

The SER Q class was a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotives of the South Eastern Railway. The class was designed by James Stirling and introduced in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SER A class</span>

The SER A class was a class of 4-4-0 locomotives on the South Eastern Railway.

References

51°08′19″N0°52′59″E / 51.1386°N 0.8830°E / 51.1386; 0.8830