Dûbs and Company
Encyclopedia
Dübs & Co. was a locomotive
works in Glasgow
, Scotland
, founded by Henry Dübs
in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie
. In 1903 it became part of the North British Locomotive Company
.
but numerous others are extant in South Africa
and the Isle of Man
.
A class
built in 1873 have been preserved. A 64 and A 67 are in full operational condition on vintage railways in New Zealand
; A 62 is in private ownership and it is understood that the smokebox
has been snapped from the boiler
, and A 66 was damaged by fire when the building in which it was kept on static display was burnt down, but its current owners intend to restore it back to an operational condition.
Two members of the C class
have survived and both are Dübs engines even though only five of the sixteen C class locomotives were built by Dübs & Co. Currently in operation at the Silver Stream Railway
is an example from 1875 that originally had the wheel arrangement of 0-4-0
but was converted soon after purchase to 0-4-2
and is preserved with that wheel arrangement. Another member of the C class was recovered by the Westport Railway Preservation Society in 1993 from where it had been dumped in the Buller Gorge
, West Coast, and it is currently under restoration with the ultimate goal of returning it to a fully operational state.
Five members of the 0-6-0
F class
built between 1878 and 1880 have been preserved. Currently in operational condition are F 163 and F 185. F 111 had its boiler condemned in 1980 and its owners, the Ocean Beach Railway
, are yet to replace it; the Ocean Beach Railway also owns F 150 but it has been on lease to the Plains Vintage Railway
of Ashburton since 1986 and is currently unrestored and partially dismantled. F 230 was converted to a wheel arrangement of 0-4-2
during its time working on a private industrial line and is currently on static display at Hamilton Lake Park in a somewhat rundown condition. Other members of the 88-total F class still exist, but they were built by other manufacturers, though some records state F 233 was also built by Dübs & Co.
In the United Kingdom
, 1901-built Dübs crane tank No. 4101 is preserved at the Foxfield Light Railway
, Stoke-on-Trent
. As of June 2008, it is currently undergoing a major overhaul.
A single example of a Dübs locomotive can be seen on the Isle of Man Railway
. An 0-6-0
, it was originally built as no. 4, Caledonia in 1885 (works no. 2178) for the Manx Northern Railway
. It was renumbered 15 when brought into IoMR stock in 1904 (Boyd 1996; p. 188-192).
Two steam locomotives built in 1894, locomotives number 1 and 2 of NSB class XXI, are still preserved at the Setesdalsbanen museum railway, Norway
. Number 1 has been out of service since the closure of ordinary activities at Setesdalsbanen in 1962. Number 2 has been in regular use at Setesdalsbanen since 1894 and until recently, both during ordinary activities and, since 1964, at the museum railway. It is currently undergoing a general service (as of August, 2005).
One steam locomotive built for the Canadian Pacific Railway
in 1882 is currently owned by the Prairie Dog Central enthusiast railway of Winnipeg
, Manitoba
. The locomotive has just undergone a thorough restoration, which was completed in early 2009.
One steam locomotive built for the Emu Bay Railway in Tasmania
, Australia
in 1900. It is currently preserved at the Don River Railway preservation society in Devonport
, Tasmania.
One steam locomotive built in 1898 (No 3730) is currently used for the West Coast Wilderness Railway
between Strahan, Tasmania
and Queenstown, Tasmania
, Australia
. This unit was locally fitted for the Abt Rack railway
system.
Another preserved loco that was originally built in 1882 for Natal Government Railways
(NGR), a predecessor to South African Railways, is a Dubs Class-A NGR No.88 that has been restored and preserved by Umgeni Steam Railway
(Durban, South Africa). It is an example of the loco used on the short (3.2 km (2 mile)) route from Durban to Point Road and later on the 23-hour trip from Durban to Johannesburg.
Built in 1888 for former Brazil
ian CP (unknown numbering) and later having been an industrial locomotive at Frigorífico Bordon, there is Dubs #2351, a 2-6-4T for gauge which has been completely restored for static exhibition at Museu de Tecnologia de São Paulo (São Paulo Technology Museum in São Paulo
, SP
.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
works in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, founded by Henry Dübs
Henry Dübs
Henry Dübs , born Heinrich Dübs, was a German-born British businessman and engineer who founded Dübs and Company, at one time the second largest locomotive manufacturer in Britain.-Biography:...
in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie
Polmadie
Polmadie is a district of Glasgow, a city in Scotland. Polmadie is situated south of the River Clyde, and adjacent to the Gorbals....
. In 1903 it became part of the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
.
Preserved locomotives
Locomotives built by Dübs & Co. are still in existence today. Eleven of these are locomotives built for the New Zealand Railways DepartmentNew Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
but numerous others are extant in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the Isle of Man
Manx Northern Railway
The Manx Northern Railway was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.- History :...
.
Preserved locomotives in New Zealand
Four members of the 0-4-00-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
A class
NZR A class (1873)
The A class was the second class of steam locomotive ordered to work on New Zealand's national railways. It should not be confused with the more numerous A class 4-6-2 tender locomotives of 1906. Initially ordered by the Public Works Department for use in the construction of lines, the A class...
built in 1873 have been preserved. A 64 and A 67 are in full operational condition on vintage railways in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; A 62 is in private ownership and it is understood that the smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
has been snapped from the boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
, and A 66 was damaged by fire when the building in which it was kept on static display was burnt down, but its current owners intend to restore it back to an operational condition.
Two members of the C class
NZR C class (1873)
The C class consists of a number of tank locomotives built to operate on New Zealand's national rail network during its infancy. It is sometimes referred to as the little C class or the original C class to distinguish it from the C class of 1930....
have survived and both are Dübs engines even though only five of the sixteen C class locomotives were built by Dübs & Co. Currently in operation at the Silver Stream Railway
Silver Stream Railway
The Silver Stream Railway is a heritage railway at Silverstream in the Hutt Valley near Wellington, New Zealand. It regularly operates preserved New Zealand Railways Department locomotives along a restored section of the Hutt Valley Line before a deviation was built in 1954.- History :The...
is an example from 1875 that originally had the wheel arrangement of 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
but was converted soon after purchase to 0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
and is preserved with that wheel arrangement. Another member of the C class was recovered by the Westport Railway Preservation Society in 1993 from where it had been dumped in the Buller Gorge
Buller Gorge
The Buller Gorge is a gorge located in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. The Buller River flows through the deep canyon between Murchison and Westport. Land Information New Zealand lists two sections for the gorge, Upper Buller Gorge and Lower Buller Gorge. State Highway 6 runs...
, West Coast, and it is currently under restoration with the ultimate goal of returning it to a fully operational state.
Five members of the 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
F class
NZR F class
The NZR F class was the first important class of steam locomotive built to operate on New Zealand's railway network after the national gauge of 1067 millimetres was adopted. The first locomotives built for the new 1067 mm railways were two E class double Fairlies for the Dunedin and Port Chalmers...
built between 1878 and 1880 have been preserved. Currently in operational condition are F 163 and F 185. F 111 had its boiler condemned in 1980 and its owners, the Ocean Beach Railway
Ocean Beach Railway
The Ocean Beach Railway is a heritage railway that operates in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is located between John Wilson Drive in the suburb of Saint Kilda and sports grounds near Forbury Park Raceway, and runs parallel with the city's main beach, Ocean Beach...
, are yet to replace it; the Ocean Beach Railway also owns F 150 but it has been on lease to the Plains Vintage Railway
Plains Vintage Railway
The Plains Vintage Railway is a heritage railway near Ashburton, New Zealand that operates on three kilometres of trackage that was once part of the Mount Somers Branch before it closed...
of Ashburton since 1986 and is currently unrestored and partially dismantled. F 230 was converted to a wheel arrangement of 0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
during its time working on a private industrial line and is currently on static display at Hamilton Lake Park in a somewhat rundown condition. Other members of the 88-total F class still exist, but they were built by other manufacturers, though some records state F 233 was also built by Dübs & Co.
Preserved locomotives elsewhere
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 1901-built Dübs crane tank No. 4101 is preserved at the Foxfield Light Railway
Foxfield Light Railway
The Foxfield Light Railway is a preserved standard gauge line located south east of Stoke-on-Trent. The line was built in 1893 to serve the colliery at Dilhorne on the Cheadle Coalfield. It joined the North Staffordshire Railway line near Blythe Bridge....
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. As of June 2008, it is currently undergoing a major overhaul.
A single example of a Dübs locomotive can be seen on the Isle of Man Railway
Isle of Man Railway
The Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is built to gauge and is long...
. An 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
, it was originally built as no. 4, Caledonia in 1885 (works no. 2178) for the Manx Northern Railway
Manx Northern Railway
The Manx Northern Railway was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.- History :...
. It was renumbered 15 when brought into IoMR stock in 1904 (Boyd 1996; p. 188-192).
Two steam locomotives built in 1894, locomotives number 1 and 2 of NSB class XXI, are still preserved at the Setesdalsbanen museum railway, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Number 1 has been out of service since the closure of ordinary activities at Setesdalsbanen in 1962. Number 2 has been in regular use at Setesdalsbanen since 1894 and until recently, both during ordinary activities and, since 1964, at the museum railway. It is currently undergoing a general service (as of August, 2005).
One steam locomotive built for the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in 1882 is currently owned by the Prairie Dog Central enthusiast railway of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. The locomotive has just undergone a thorough restoration, which was completed in early 2009.
One steam locomotive built for the Emu Bay Railway in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1900. It is currently preserved at the Don River Railway preservation society in Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
, Tasmania.
One steam locomotive built in 1898 (No 3730) is currently used for the West Coast Wilderness Railway
West Coast Wilderness Railway
The West Coast Wilderness Railway, Tasmania is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company railway between Queenstown and Regatta Point...
between Strahan, Tasmania
Strahan, Tasmania
-See also:* Convicts on the West Coast of Tasmania* Macquarie Harbour* Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania* West Coast Piners-Further reading:* *...
and Queenstown, Tasmania
Queenstown, Tasmania
Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania. It is located in a valley on western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range.It had a population of 5,119 people . At the 2006 census, Queenstown had a population of 2,117....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This unit was locally fitted for the Abt Rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
system.
Another preserved loco that was originally built in 1882 for Natal Government Railways
Natal government railways
The Natal Government Railways was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal.In 1877 the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban to Umgeni...
(NGR), a predecessor to South African Railways, is a Dubs Class-A NGR No.88 that has been restored and preserved by Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway - a railway preservation group, started in 1982, located just outside Durban in a small village called Inchanga. The history of the line they use dates back to the 1870s when the first railway line was built to run from Durban-Pietermaritzburg .-Excursion Trains:On the last...
(Durban, South Africa). It is an example of the loco used on the short (3.2 km (2 mile)) route from Durban to Point Road and later on the 23-hour trip from Durban to Johannesburg.
Built in 1888 for former Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian CP (unknown numbering) and later having been an industrial locomotive at Frigorífico Bordon, there is Dubs #2351, a 2-6-4T for gauge which has been completely restored for static exhibition at Museu de Tecnologia de São Paulo (São Paulo Technology Museum in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, SP
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
.
External links
- Information from the Weka Pass Railway on the preserved members of the original A class built by Dübs & Co.:
- Information from the Weka Pass Railway on the preserved members of the F class built by Dübs & Co.:
- Silver Stream Railway's preserved locomotives page - includes a section on the preserved member of the C class
- Umgeni Steam Railway - steam railway preservation group, Durban, South Africa: http://www.umgenisteamrailway.co.za/Picture_Gallery_Dubs_88.php