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THE GLOUCESTER RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND WAGON COMPANY

WORKS SHUNTERS

  
  From its inception in 1860, the company that would win World renown as the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company would have needed motive power both to move its new products toward the burgeoning national network along the High Orchard Branch of the Midland Railway and also to move raw materials, fuel and vehicles for repair around its site at Bristol Road.

After 1962, at the twilight of complete vehicle erection, this task was performed by dumper trucks - the Wagon Works now having become a part of Winget Ltd, parent of the Muir Hill earth moving machinery company. Until that time however, a procession of standard gauge outside cylindered saddle tank engines were in service.

The first of these was "TIGER", an 0-4-0ST originally constructed by Manning Wardle and later rebuilt by Hudswell Clarke of Leeds This was followed by a similar pattern locomotive "SIAM", built by Sharp Stewart of Glasgow and carrying, it is believed, their works number 2472 of 1875. This had very likely been acquired by Gloucester RCW from the Ebbw Vale Steel Iron and Coal Company Limited in 1902 and was to continue to work at Bristol Road for another eight years.

  
     
  "HENRY WRIGHT" - named after a former Company Chairman - continued the outside cylindered 0-4-0ST theme, being acquired new as Manning Wardle works number 1501 of 1900. It was finally scrapped in 1937 by A.R. Adams & Son of Newport, Monmouthshire.  
     
  Click on picture for more about Gloucester RCW Chairman Henry Wright  
     
  "HENRY WRIGHT" - named after a former Company Chairman - continued the 0-4-0ST theme, being acquired new as Manning Wardle works number 1501 of 1900. It was finally scrapped in 1937 by A.R. Adams & Son of Newport, Monmouthshire.  
     
 

Similar, too, in layout was 1391 "FOX". Acquired in July 1912, this was an ex Great Western Railway engine but not a Swindon or Wolverhampton product. Instead it carried the Bristol based Avonside Engine works number 913 of 1872. "FOX" also went to Newport for scrap, this time to John Cashmore Ltd in March 1948.

  
     
  Similar, too, in layout was 1391 "FOX". Acquired in July 1912, this was an ex Great Western Railway engine but not a Swindon or Wolverhampton product. Instead it carried the Bristol based Avonside Engine works number 913 of 1872. "FOX" also went to Newport for scrap, this time to John Cashmore Ltd in March 1948.

The largest locomotive ever employed by Gloucester RCW was 0-6-0ST "ABERDARE", another Avonside, this time built in 1900 as their works number 1411. Previously owned by contractors Topham, Jones and Railton, "ABERDARE" was acquired - possibly on hire - from A.R. Adams & Son until November 1938.

A return to four coupled saddle tank engines was made in 1938 with the arrival of "PHOENIX", an Andrew Barclays of Kilmarnock product dating from 1914 with their works number 1285. "PHOENIX" was first owned by the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company of Cardiff and was finally scrapped in 1949 by A.R. Adams & Son.

 
     
  Gloucester RCW's final railway locomotive however was also its most unusual. "BADGEWORTH HALL" was a brand new 0-4-0 Fireless engine built by W.Bagnall of Stafford in 1947. Carrying the Bagnall works number 2871 would have been operating at Bristol Road at the same time that Andrew Barclays 0-4-0F 2126 of 1942 ( now preserved at the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester ) would have been shunting coal wagons at Castle Meads Power Station, across the Gloucester - Sharpness Canal and River Severn from the Wagon Works. Sadly though, "BADGEWORTH HALL" was sold for scrap to Hayes Metals ( Gloucester ) limited in March 1963 and cut up the following December.  
     
  Gloucester RCW's final railway locomotive however was also its most unusual. "BADGEWORTH HALL" was a brand new 0-4-0 Fireless engine built by W.Bagnall of Stafford in 1947. Carrying the Bagnall works number 2871 would have been operating at Bristol Road at the same time that Andrew Barclays 0-4-0F 2126 of 1942 ( now preserved at the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester ) would have been shunting coal wagons at Castle Meads Power Station, across the Gloucester - Sharpness Canal and River Severn from the Wagon Works. Sadly though, "BADGEWORTH HALL" was sold for scrap to Hayes Metals ( Gloucester ) limited in March 1963 and cut up the following December. "BADGEWORTH HALL" is pictured below next to a former Western Region 13 ton 5 plank vacuum braked wagon by Phil Edwards via Mike Smith.  
     
  Gloucester RCW's final railway locomotive however was also its most unusual. "BADGEWORTH HALL" was a brand new 0-4-0 Fireless engine built by W.Bagnall of Stafford in 1947. Carrying the Bagnall works number 2871 would have been operating at Bristol Road at the same time that Andrew Barclays 0-4-0F 2126 of 1942 ( now preserved at the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester ) would have been shunting coal wagons at Castle Meads Power Station, across the Gloucester - Sharpness Canal and River Severn from the Wagon Works. Sadly though, "BADGEWORTH HALL" was sold for scrap to Hayes Metals ( Gloucester ) limited in March 1963 (pictured below next to a former Western Region 13 ton 5 plank vacuum braked wagon) and cut up the following December.