Walker Brothers (Wigan)

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Walker Brothers
Founded1886
FounderJohn Scarisbrick Walker
Headquarters
Wigan
,
England
Products Steam locomotives
Diesel locomotives
Railcars
Trucks

Walker Brothers Limited was a manufacturer based in Pagefield Ironworks, Wigan, England. It produced ventilation equipment for mining, truck and bus chassis (under the "Pagefield" name), mobile cranes, and railway locomotives and railcars.

Contents

History

In 1886, John Scarisbrick Walker established Globe Foundry in Wigan. He was later joined by brothers Thomas and Edwin and the business renamed Walker Brothers. Initially based in Queen Street, it moved to Pagefield Works in 1874. It initially manufactured steam locomotives before diversifying in the 1930s to produce diesel locomotives and railcars. It closed in the early 1960s. [1] [2]

Products

Pagefield Trucks

Walker Brothers started building petrol trucks using the Pagefield name in 1907. At the Manchester Commercial Vehicle show of 1908 their 30-40cwt truck was the only petrol-drven commercial vehicle. [3] In 1911 they announced 3 new models, 40 cwt, 50 cwt and 3 ton. [4] All the trucks had four cylinder petrol engines built by Pagefield, and all had chain drive to the rear axle. [5] In 1913 a Pagefield truck was revealed which had been designed to meet the requirements of the War Office Subsidy Scheme, this adopted the Dorman 4JO engine, and replaced the chain final drive with a live axle and propshaft. [6] This model was certified under the scheme and when the war came, this meant Pagefield was one of the makers able to provide the War Office with approved vehicles which they provided throughout the war.

In 1920 Pagefield launched a new motor coach chassis, using a Dorman subsidy-type engine, claiming "You don't put Passengers on Freight Under-Carriages" - as it was not uncommon at the time to sell commercial chassis for either freight or passenger use. [7]

An interesting new vehicle at the 1923 commercial vehicle show was a 3.5 ton Pagefield, with forward control, and a wheelbase of only 8 ft 2in. [8] They were also developing their refuse collection wagons around 1923/1924, whereby horse drawn wagons collected from house and delivered to the Pagefield truck who took them to the local dump and returned for the next load. [9]

In 1930 Pagefield introduced a 6-ton truck (the Pagefield NG) with a 4-cylinder Gardner diesel engine of 5.6 litres. [10] [11]

Walkers produced refuse wagons from the mid-1920s, and this became an important part of their product line. Launched in 1932, the Pagefield Prodigy was a refuse truck with forward control and a cab that could accommodate the crew. It was available either with a Gardner diesel engine, or a Meadows petrol engine. [12] The body design has features owned by Country Commercials Cars Ltd, and in 1947 it formalised their long-standing business arrangement by forming Walkers and County Cars Ltd.

It also produced a 6-wheeler from 1933, called the Pegasix, using the Gardner 5LW diesel engine. [13]

After the war a Pagefield 5-ton truck with Perkins P6 diesel engine designed for export was announced. [14] Walker Bros dropped the use of the Pagefield trademark about this time, and a crane truck it built in the early 1950s was simply referred to as the Walker 6-ton crane. [15]

Locomotives

Railcars

Between 1932 and 1953, Walker Brothers produced the following railcars: [2]

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References

  1. ↑ Walker Articulated Railcars Green over Red March 1969 pages 10/11
  2. 1 2 Walker Brothers (Wigan) Ltd Newsrail May 2008 pages 136/137
  3. ↑ "The Manchester Show". Commercial Motor . 20 February 1908. p. 537.
  4. ↑ "Pagefield Commercial Vehicles". Commercial Motor. 2 February 1911. p. 451.
  5. ↑ "A Two-Tonner Built in Lancashire". Commercial Motor. 15 February 1912. pp. 503–504.
  6. ↑ "The New Pagefield Subvention Model". Commercial Motor. 24 July 1913. pp. 576–578.
  7. ↑ "The New Pagefield Motor Coach Chassis". Commercial Motor. 14 September 1920. pp. 101–103.
  8. ↑ "Pagefield". Commercial Motor. 27 November 1923. p. 502.
  9. ↑ "Camberwell Favours the Pagefield System". Commercial Motor. 13 July 1926. p. 683.
  10. ↑ "The New Pagefield-Gardner 5-6 Ton Diesel Lorry". Commercial Motor. 30 September 1930. pp. 210–212.
  11. ↑ "A 100-mile Trial of an Oil-Engined Lorry". Commercial Motor. 17 February 1931. pp. 11–12.
  12. ↑ "A New Refuse Collector". Commercial Motor. 2 September 1932. p. 73.
  13. ↑ "A New Oiler for Legal Loads of 7-8 Tons". Commercial Motor. 21 April 1933. pp. 342–344.
  14. ↑ "New Walker 5-tonner for Overseas". Commercial Motor. 6 February 1948. p. 21.
  15. ↑ "Electric Controls on 6-ton Crane". Commercial Motor. 14 July 1950. p. 650.
  16. ↑ English-Built Railcar for Tasmania Diesel Railway Traction 15 March 1940 pages 37-39
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