>Source: Minerva Model Railways
| David L O Smith - Home |
Peckett & Sons E Class Locomotives |
Are you able to add more information and images of Peckett E
Class Locomotives?
Please send me an email
and I shall update this page with any information - thank you.
On March 7th, 2015 at the Gauge 0 Guild Spring Show in Kettering, Minerva Model Railways announced the production of their 7mm scale (0 gauge) locomotive, the Peckett E Class, with further details in an on-going discussion on RMWeb.
>
Source: Minerva
Model Railways
I have found no indication of an exact prototype, although the CAD illustrations suggest that one of the South Wales locos that came into GWR ownership is a likely candidate.
Source: Minerva
Model Railways
As is my usual way, I wished to find an alternative to depicting my model as rather similar to most others so I followed up leads on the company of Peckett & Sons and was able to establish that they delivered 52 locomotives designated as 'E Class', as shewn in the table below.
|
Peckett & Sons E Class Locomotives |
||||
|
Works No. |
Date |
Name/Number |
Customer |
|
|
1 |
1000 |
10/1903 |
Bessemer |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
2 |
1001 |
10/1903 |
Trevithick |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
3 |
1009 |
12/1903 |
Abersychan |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
4 |
1010 |
12/1903 |
Pontypool |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
5 |
1011 |
12/1903 |
Beaufort |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
6 |
1012 |
12/1903 |
Abercarn |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
7 |
1013 |
12/1903 |
James Watt |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
8 |
1014 |
12/1903 |
Waun Llwyd |
Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire |
|
9 |
1024 |
6/1905 |
- |
Nobels Explosive Co., Stevenston, Ayrshire |
|
10 |
1025 |
4/1906 |
- |
Coventry Ordinance Works, Coventry, Warwickshire |
|
11 |
1053 |
6/1906 |
R No. 11 |
C Rowlands, Swansea, Glamorganshire |
|
12 |
1054 |
7/1907 |
- |
Loughor Colliery Co., Loughor, Glamorganshire |
|
13 |
1105 |
5/1908 |
R No. 12 |
C Rowlands, Swansea, Glamorganshire |
|
14 |
1106 |
6/1908 |
Henry Davies |
Ebbw Vale Co., Abercarn, Glamorganshire |
|
15 |
1179 |
1/1912 |
P & M No. 12 |
Powlesland & Mason, Swansea, Glamorganshire |
|
16 |
1180 |
5/1912 |
Charlaw |
Charlaw & Sacriston Collieries, Nr Durham |
|
17 |
1289 |
12/1912 |
Cockspur* |
Morris & Shaw, Tamworth, Warwickshire (* later at South Durham Steel & Iron Co.) |
|
18 |
1290 |
1/1913 |
No. 10 |
John Lysaght Ltd., Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire |
|
19 |
1328 |
7/1913 |
P & M No. 3 |
Powlesland & Mason, Swansea, Glamorganshire |
|
20 |
1329 |
8/1913 |
- |
Bawldwins Ltd., Landore, Glamorganshire |
|
21 |
1351 |
8/1914 |
Lion |
War Office, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London |
|
22 |
1352 |
10/1914 |
Tiger |
War Office, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London |
|
23 |
1392 |
4/1915 |
- |
Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Co., Jarrow, Co. Durham |
|
24 |
1393 |
6/1915 |
Mars |
Vickers Ltd., Naval Construction Works, Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire |
|
25 |
1413 |
12/1915 |
No. 16 |
Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Co., Jarrow, Co. Durham |
|
26 |
1414 |
12/1915 |
Africa |
Chief Supt. Of Ordnance Factories, Woolwich Arsenal, London |
|
27 |
1427 |
3/1916 |
Australia |
Chief Supt. Of Ordnance Factories, Woolwich Arsenal, London |
|
28 |
1428 |
4/1914 |
- |
Bawldwins Ltd., Panteg Steelworks, Newport, Monmouthshire |
|
29 |
1441 |
6/1916 |
Canada |
Chief Supt. Of Ordnance Factories, Woolwich Arsenal, London |
|
30 |
1442 |
6/1916 |
Edith |
John Rhodes Ltd., Prince Of Wales Collieries, Pontefract, Yorkshire |
|
31 |
1449 |
9/1916 |
P & M No. 4 |
Powlesland & Mason, Swansea, Glamorganshire |
|
32 |
1450 |
8/1916 |
Monkland No. 11 |
Dunlop & Co., Clyde Ironworks, Glasgow, Lanarkshire |
|
33 |
1464 |
2/1917 |
New Zealand |
Chief Supt. Of Ordnance Factories, Woolwich Arsenal, London |
|
34 |
1465 |
3/1917 |
No. 31 Sir Charles Allen |
Ebbw Vale Steel & Iron Co., Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire |
|
35 |
1512 |
6/1918 |
No. 2 |
William Baird & Co., Gavell, Stirlingshire |
|
36 |
1513 |
6/1918 |
No.25 |
Bell Brothers, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire |
|
37 |
1522 |
10/1918 |
S.H.T No. 18 |
Swansea Harbour Trust, Swansea, Glamorganshire |
|
38 |
1523 |
12/1918 |
- |
Ebbw Vale Steel & Iron Co., Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire |
|
39 |
1524 |
3/1919 |
King George V |
Ebbw Vale Steel & Iron Co., Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire |
|
40 |
1525 |
4/1919 |
Fullarton No. 12 |
James Dunlop & Co. Ltd., Glasgow |
|
41 |
1538 |
6/1919 |
Frank Green |
E. Green & Son, Wakefield, Yorkshire |
|
42 |
1539 |
9/1919 |
Furnace |
Baldwins Ltd., Swansea Hematite Works, Landore, Glamorganshire |
|
43 |
1557 |
2/1920 |
Sir Henry Mather Jackson |
Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Co. Ltd., Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire |
|
44 |
1558 |
4/1920 |
Pen-y-Cae |
Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Co. Ltd., Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire |
|
45 |
1565 |
6/1920 |
Sir John Wyndham Beynon |
John Lancaster & Co. Ltd., Nr Abertillery, Monmouthshire |
|
46 |
1566 |
11/1921 |
- |
Llanelly Harbour Trust, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire |
|
47 |
1588 |
6/1922 |
Crawshay |
Henry Crawshay, Lightmoor Colliery, Gloucestershire |
|
48 |
1589 |
3/1928 |
Severn |
Synthetic Amonia & Nitrates Ltd., Billingham, Co. Durham |
|
49 |
1646 |
2/1930 |
- |
Glen Afton Collieries, Auckland, New Zealand |
|
50 |
1647 |
2/1933 |
Hodbarrow No. 4 |
Hodbarrow Mining Co., Millom, Cumberland |
|
51 |
1872 |
1/1940 |
Kitchener |
Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London |
|
52 |
1986 |
3/1940 |
Sturdee |
Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London |
Source: Peckett & Sons, Locomotive Works List, Compiled by Frank Jux, 1987, Distributed by The Industrial Locomotive Society
It seems reasonable to assume that all these locomotives looked similar but, as in large classes of mainline locomotives, there may well have been differences of detail. The specification for a standard E Class was 0-4-0ST, outside cylinders, 15" diameter by 21" stroke and wheels of 3' 7" in diameter. Frank Jux points out, but not specifically about the E Class:
"Most Peckett locomotives were built to standard designs, although with variations in detail of varying degrees - such as height and width ..." and
"Although mostly built to standard classes, modifications could be quite extensive, and even extend to the substitution of sidetanks for a saddletank, and the provision of six wheels instead of four. Steelworks locomotives would usually be of heavier build, as would those built for main line use."
Searching on the internet can be helpful but misunderstanding can introduce appreciable confusion. To illustrate this point, here are two images of E Class locomotives according to Martyn Bane's Steam and Travel Pages:
Source: Martyn Bane's Steam and Travel Pages
Purports to be: Works No. 1011 of 12/1903, 'Beaufort' supplied to Ebbw Vale Co., Ebbw Vale, Glamorganshire
Source: Martyn Bane's Steam and Travel Pages
Works No. 1054 of 7/1907 E Class, supplied to Loughor Colliery Co.,
Loughor, Glamorganshire
The identity of this locomotive is correct and it is an E Class. There are three photographs of E Class locomotives reproduced in Peckett & Sons Ltd, complied by Andrew Smith:
Works No. 1000 (Bessemer) but depicted as Works
No. 1001 (Trevithick) both built in 10/1903 (page 60; NRM/1999-7543/12-26)
Works No. 1054 built in 7/1907 (page 64; NRM/1999-754/21-50
Works No. 1465 but depicted as Works No. 1464 (New Zealand), which was equipped with a spark arrestor, both built in 1917 (page 84; NRM/1999-7543/16-34)
The locomotives all appear similar to each other (eg wheels with eleven spokes)
but with some variations (eg dome/safety valves and chimneys) and to the
isometric drawing of the E
Class at the top of this page. Photographs
of the first engineering prototype of their 7mm scale model were released on
the 13th May by Minerva
Model Railways and the first pre-production decorated examples were
available for Guildex, Telford at the beginning of September, 2015. From
late 2015, the
production
run E class Pecketts was available in three liveries.
|
The first engineering prototype |
A pre-production decorated example |
The image of 1054 is the only official one that I have found on the internet that I can be reasonably certain is of a Peckett E Class locomotive. I would be very interested to see more examples, which I shall publish here with full acknowledgement if that is your wish.
The only photograph that I have been given that depicts an E Class that was built with a modification, or was altered later, is one of Pontypool (Works No. 1010 of 12/1903) which, although built as standard
it had a rear bunker added later.
I am grateful to David Moores for use of the photographs, the latter of which was taken on the 25th August, 1955 at NCB Bargoed. In the Peckett order book there is a reference that, when new, Pontypool was painted black with yellow lining.
There has been much discussion on the RMWeb Forum that is dedicated to the model, which includes photographs of working Peckett locomotives in later days.
As Osgood points out, there is a photo (page 98; NRM/1999-7543/23-45) of the first E1 Class (the redesigned E Class) Works No. 2108 of 1950, which represent a possible conversion opportunity for the Minerva Model Railways model of the E Class. The main superficial differences appear to be a modern cab front window profile and straight rear frame.
For my part, I have not yet made up my mind whether to go for a prototypical Pontypool with extended bunker, which is my current preference but not much of a conversion, or whether to go for a freelance example by taking features from other Peckett classes, that would be a bit more 'extreme'.
Are you able to add more information and images of Peckett E
Class Locomotives?
Please send me an email
and I shall update this page with any information - thank you.
