Peckett and Sons
Encyclopedia
Peckett and Sons was a locomotive
manufacturer at the Atlas Works in St. George
, Bristol
, England
.
The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, Bristol, as Fox, Walker and Company, building four and six-coupled saddle tank engines for industrial use. They also built stationary engines and pioneered steam tramcars, the first being tested in Bristol in 1877.
Much of their output was exported, mostly 0-6-0
, with some 0-4-0
, 2-4-0
and 0-4-2
. In 1878 they produced six 1'6" gauge 2-4-2
trench engines for the Royal Engineers
at Chatham using Henry Handyside's steep gradient apparatus. They also produced nine 0-6-0 saddle tank engines
for the Somerset and Dorset Railway.
_0-4-0st_no._1152_at_danygraig.jpg)
Between 1862 and 1900 they had built over 400 locomotives, when they were taken over by Thomas Peckett in 1880 becoming Peckett and Sons, Atlas Engine Works, Bristol. The company acquired limited liability some years later.
The company continued producing a variety of small industrial and shunting engines at their factory located between Fishponds and Kingswood in Bristol.They became specialists in the field, with very precise specifications and standardisation of parts. The largest engine was an 0-8-0
built in 1931 for the Christmas Island Phosphate Company. The works were served by a branch line starting just south west of Kingswood junction on the Midland line and ran for about 1 mile (1.6km) in a generally eastward direction, it also served some collieries in the Speedwell area. The only evidence remaining of this line is a bridge abutment on Whitefield Road.
During the two World War
s, the works were especially busy, but by 1950 trade had largely dried up and, although in 1956 an attempt had been made to enter the diesel-mechanical market, the last steam engine was produced in 1958 and the company was taken over by Reed Crane & Hoist Co Ltd on 23 October 1961, which itself later went into liquidation.
Despite hard work and poor maintenance, the engines were long-lasting. Many Peckett locomotives survive working on today's heritage railway
s around the world:
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...
manufacturer at the Atlas Works in St. George
St George, Bristol
St. George is a district of Bristol, England on the edge of the inner city.- History :St George was originally outside the city boundary until about 1860. The area was once the end of the tram line from the city of Bristol, the terminus being in Beaconsfield Road.St...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Fox, Walker and Company
Much of their output was exported, mostly 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...
, with some 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...
, 2-4-0
2-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels....
and 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...
. In 1878 they produced six 1'6" gauge 2-4-2
2-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
trench engines for the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
at Chatham using Henry Handyside's steep gradient apparatus. They also produced nine 0-6-0 saddle tank engines
S&DJR Fox, Walker 0-6-0ST
The S&DJR Fox, Walker 0-6-0ST was a class of nine 0-6-0ST locomotives built by Fox, Walker and Company for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway between 1874 and 1876. Numbered 1 to 9, all except number 8 passed in the London, Midland and Scottish Railway stock in 1930, who allocated them numbers...
for the Somerset and Dorset Railway.
Peckett and Sons
The company continued producing a variety of small industrial and shunting engines at their factory located between Fishponds and Kingswood in Bristol.They became specialists in the field, with very precise specifications and standardisation of parts. The largest engine was an 0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
built in 1931 for the Christmas Island Phosphate Company. The works were served by a branch line starting just south west of Kingswood junction on the Midland line and ran for about 1 mile (1.6km) in a generally eastward direction, it also served some collieries in the Speedwell area. The only evidence remaining of this line is a bridge abutment on Whitefield Road.
During the two World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s, the works were especially busy, but by 1950 trade had largely dried up and, although in 1956 an attempt had been made to enter the diesel-mechanical market, the last steam engine was produced in 1958 and the company was taken over by Reed Crane & Hoist Co Ltd on 23 October 1961, which itself later went into liquidation.
Production and preservation
- For a full list, see List of Peckett and Sons railway locomotives
Despite hard work and poor maintenance, the engines were long-lasting. Many Peckett locomotives survive working on today's heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
s around the world:
- The oldest surviving Fox Walker locomotive is "Karlskoga", an 0-6-0ST on the Nora Bergslags Railway in Sweden; it was working in 2003
- The last Peckett steam locomotive built, 2165 of 1958, is preserved at Sandstone EstatesSandstone EstatesSandstone Estates are an extensive farming complex located in Free State, South Africa, close to Bloemfontein. Owned by entrepreneur Wilf Mole, they are also a global-scale hub of transport preservation.-Farm:...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe 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...