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Horwich Works
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Horwich Works
Horwich Works was a railway works built in 1886 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) in Horwich, near Bolton, in North West England when the company moved from its original works at Miles Platting, Manchester.
Horwich Works was built on 142 hectares (350 acres) of land bought in April 1884 for £36,000. Rivington House, the first of several workshops was 106.7 metres (350 ft) long by 16.8 metres (55 ft) wide and opened in February 1887. The long brick built workshops had full-height arched windows and were separated by tram and rail tracks. Work to construct the three bay, 463.3 metres (1,520 ft) long by 36 metres (118 ft) wide, erecting shop began in March 1885. Inside were 20 overhead cranes.
An 18-inch (460 mm) gauge railway, with approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of track was built to carry materials around the works complex, modelled on a similar system at Crewe Works. Two small 0-4-0 tank locomotives were bought from Beyer, Peacock and Company in 1887 to haul stores trains around the site, and six more were acquired at intervals to 1901. The first of these was bought from Beyer Peacock, but the remainder were built at Horwich. From 1930 they were gradually withdrawn from service, the last, Wren (a Beyer Peacock engine), was withdrawn in 1961 and was originally renovated and placed on display in the Erecting Shop. It is now preserved at the National Railway Museum.
John Ramsbottom was hired from semi-retirement by the L&YR to advise on a new site for locomotive construction and repairs. Ramsbottom identified a greenfield site near Bolton as the most suitable, and oversaw construction of the works.
The first locomotive built by the LYR at Horwich, in 1889, was a 2-4-2 tank engine designed by John Aspinall. This locomotive was L&YR 1008 and is now preserved at the National Railway Museum. By 1899 a further 677 locomotives had been built, and another 220 under Henry Hoy. Between 1891 and 1900, 230 0-6-0 tender engines designed by Barton Wright were rebuilt as 0-6-0ST saddle tanks, LYR Class F16.
In 1899, the Aspinall-designed 'Atlantic' 4-4-2 express passenger locomotive was introduced and forty had been completed by 1902. Horwich works produced its 1,000th engine in 1907, a four-cylinder compound 0-8-0.
In 1923 when the railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), its Chief Mechanical Engineer was George Hughes, and he became CME of the LMS. In 1926 he was responsible for the design of a 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive of unusual appearance, which became known as the "Horwich Crab." The class proved extremely successful, and 245 locomotives were built, 70 at Horwich, including the first 30 examples. The "Crabs" continued in service with British Railways' London Midland and Scottish regions until the last two survivors were withdrawn in early 1967.
Three of the four post-grouping railways had Chief Mechanical Engineers who had served at least part of their apprenticeship or early career at Horwich. These were George Hughes and Henry Fowler of the LMS, Richard Maunsell of the Southern, and Nigel Gresley of the London and North Eastern Railway. Aviator Alliott Verdon-Roe also went on from Horwich to found the Manchester-based Avro aeroplane company.
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Horwich Works
Horwich Works was a railway works built in 1886 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) in Horwich, near Bolton, in North West England when the company moved from its original works at Miles Platting, Manchester.
Horwich Works was built on 142 hectares (350 acres) of land bought in April 1884 for £36,000. Rivington House, the first of several workshops was 106.7 metres (350 ft) long by 16.8 metres (55 ft) wide and opened in February 1887. The long brick built workshops had full-height arched windows and were separated by tram and rail tracks. Work to construct the three bay, 463.3 metres (1,520 ft) long by 36 metres (118 ft) wide, erecting shop began in March 1885. Inside were 20 overhead cranes.
An 18-inch (460 mm) gauge railway, with approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of track was built to carry materials around the works complex, modelled on a similar system at Crewe Works. Two small 0-4-0 tank locomotives were bought from Beyer, Peacock and Company in 1887 to haul stores trains around the site, and six more were acquired at intervals to 1901. The first of these was bought from Beyer Peacock, but the remainder were built at Horwich. From 1930 they were gradually withdrawn from service, the last, Wren (a Beyer Peacock engine), was withdrawn in 1961 and was originally renovated and placed on display in the Erecting Shop. It is now preserved at the National Railway Museum.
John Ramsbottom was hired from semi-retirement by the L&YR to advise on a new site for locomotive construction and repairs. Ramsbottom identified a greenfield site near Bolton as the most suitable, and oversaw construction of the works.
The first locomotive built by the LYR at Horwich, in 1889, was a 2-4-2 tank engine designed by John Aspinall. This locomotive was L&YR 1008 and is now preserved at the National Railway Museum. By 1899 a further 677 locomotives had been built, and another 220 under Henry Hoy. Between 1891 and 1900, 230 0-6-0 tender engines designed by Barton Wright were rebuilt as 0-6-0ST saddle tanks, LYR Class F16.
In 1899, the Aspinall-designed 'Atlantic' 4-4-2 express passenger locomotive was introduced and forty had been completed by 1902. Horwich works produced its 1,000th engine in 1907, a four-cylinder compound 0-8-0.
In 1923 when the railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), its Chief Mechanical Engineer was George Hughes, and he became CME of the LMS. In 1926 he was responsible for the design of a 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive of unusual appearance, which became known as the "Horwich Crab." The class proved extremely successful, and 245 locomotives were built, 70 at Horwich, including the first 30 examples. The "Crabs" continued in service with British Railways' London Midland and Scottish regions until the last two survivors were withdrawn in early 1967.
Three of the four post-grouping railways had Chief Mechanical Engineers who had served at least part of their apprenticeship or early career at Horwich. These were George Hughes and Henry Fowler of the LMS, Richard Maunsell of the Southern, and Nigel Gresley of the London and North Eastern Railway. Aviator Alliott Verdon-Roe also went on from Horwich to found the Manchester-based Avro aeroplane company.
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