 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway |
| Founded | 1881 inGlasgow,Scotland |
| Founder | James Kerr |
| Defunct | 1930; 95 years ago (1930) |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Steam anddiesel locomotives |
Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was alocomotive manufacturer inStoke-on-Trent, England.
It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as "James Kerr & Company", and became "Kerr, Stuart & Company" from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner. The business started inGlasgow,Scotland, but during this time they were only acting as agents ordering locomotives from established manufacturers, among themFalcon,John Fowler & Co. andHartley, Arnoux and Fanning. They bought the last-named company in 1892 and moved into the California Works in Stoke to begin building all their own locomotives. Hartley, Arnoux and Fanning had also been building railway and tramway plant. This side of their business was sold toDick, Kerr and Co. inPreston.
Kerr, Stuart were known for producing a number of standard designs with many engines being built for stock and sold 'off the shelf' to customers. The names of these locomotive types were often derived from the purchaser of the first of that type or from the name it was given.
The Kerr, Stuart designs are typified by having a singletrailing truck (allowing a largefirebox to be placed behind the driving wheels) and/or having asaddle tank. Several designs ofside tank locomotive were produced that shared a chassis and boiler with a saddle tank design and it is not unknown for a standard chassis from one design to be used with a different design's standard boiler to produce a locomotive to suit a customer's special requirements.
| Name | Image | Wheel arrangement (Whyte) | Weight (long tons) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huxley | 0-4-0ST | 16 Tons | [citation needed] | |
| Witch | 16 Tons | [citation needed] | ||
| Moss Bay |  | 0-4-0ST | 29 Tons | named after Moss Bay Haematite Iron & Steel Co Ltd,Workington |
| Rugeley | 0-6-0ST | 31 Tons | [citation needed] | |
| Priestley | 0-4-0WT | 25.5 Tons | No 3063 (1918) initially supplied to the National Shipyard in Beachley was purchased by W & R Parker in 1980. It was restored to working order at The Flour Mill in Bream, Gloucestershire in 2012 and is informally known as 'Willy the Well Tank". was at the Barry Tourist Railway in summer 2021. Now on loan to the Swindon and Cricklade Railway for the 2024 season. This is essentially a Borrows design from the 1860s. | |
| Argentina | 0-6-0T | 34 Tons | [citation needed] | |
| Victory | [citation needed] | |||
| La Manada | 4-4-0 | Locomotive number 1327 of 1913 is preserved in Ferro Club Villa Lynch (Argentina)[citation needed] |
| Name | Image | Wheel arrangement (Whyte notation) | Weight (working order)[clarification needed] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wren |  | 0-4-0ST | 3.4 tons (4.2 tons) | Pixie one of 27 of the Wren class ordered for a sewer contract in Essex, sold to Devon County Council in 1929. Purchased by the Industrial Locomotive Society in 1957, it entered service atLeighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway in 1969. Works number 3114 was part of the same batch of Wrens on the sewer contract. Its history beyond this is uncertain but it is believed that it worked on the dismantling of theAshover Light Railway. After that it worked on theBala Lake Railway as "Dryw Bach", and is now owned by theVale of Rheidol Railway. Peter Pan worked withPixie in Devon. It was purchased in 1972 by Graham Hall who found the locomotive in a back garden inBromsgrove and sometimes operates at theLeighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway. Lorna Doone is now preserved by the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery and is currently at theAmerton Railway, operational. Also at the Amerton Railway is new build Wren "Jennie", built by theHunslet Engine Company in 2008. In 2010, theHunslet Engine Company completed the last Wren "Thomas Wicksteed" for theKew Bridge Steam Museum in London. Two worked on theCamber Railway in theFalkland Islands |
| Sirdar | .jpg) | 0-4-0T | 6.5 tons | Two of three locomotives being built for Allan Alderson and Company of Cairo for use during theNile Barrage construction in Egypt were diverted to the British War Office in November 1899, for use by the Royal Engineers in a siege park in theZuid-Afrikaansche Republiek during theSecond Boer War. Of the 58 of this class built only 2 are known to survive.No 1158 of 1917 "Diana" privately owned in the UK, and returned to working order in 2015, after 65 years out of use. The second is 652 "Hope", a modified Sirdar, which is classed as a National Monument in Namibia. |
| Tattoo | .jpg) | 0-4-2ST | 6.5 tons (8.5 tons) | Three examples exist in theUK, all operational:Stanhope (1917) on theApedale Valley Light Railway;Talyllyn Railway No.4Edward Thomas (1921); andCorris Railway No.7 (2005); at least two survive out of service inNamtu,Burma at theBurma Mines Railway.[2][3] The class was built with either outside frames (such as Stanhope) or inside frames (such as Edward Thomas). |
| Darwin | 8.8 tons (10.9 tons) | [citation needed] | ||
| Huxley | 0-4-2T | At least one survives in working order on theBurma Mines Railway.[4]Joan on theWelshpool and Llanfair Light Railway has a Huxley boiler carried on a modified Matary/Barreto chassis. | ||
| Skylark | 10 tons | Formerly used onCampbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway andSnailbeach District Railways.[5] A few survive at a sugar mill inMauritius.Lukee operates at a tourist railway inRed Cliffs, Australia. | ||
| Joffre |  | 0-6-0T | 8.5 tons (10.5 tons) | Named afterJoseph Joffre; the Joffre class of 70 locomotives was a French Decauville design built by KS under contract during the Great War. Six of the class are known to have survived, one in Africa and five re-imported into the UK; these includeAxe on theLynton & Barnstaple Railway and ones being restored for theTeifi Valley Railway,West Lancashire Light Railway, and theApedale Valley Light Railway.[6] |
| Haig |  | 8.5 tons (10.5 tons) | Named afterDouglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig; the Haig class was developed from the Joffre as a result of parts being left unused at the end of the Great War. Two examples survive in New Zealand (one at Ocean Beach Railway in Dunedin, the other at MOTAT in Auckland) and one –Sergeant Murphy – on theTeifi Valley Railway | |
| Brazil |  | 0-4-2ST | 10.6 tons (13.6 tons) | Several examples survive, includingExcelsior on theGreat Whipsnade Railway and three locos (Premier,Leader &Melior) of theSittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway |
| Waterloo | 15 Tons | [citation needed] | ||
| Matary orBarreto (both names used) |  | 0-6-2T | 13 tons (17 tons) | At least one original example survives,Superior on theGreat Whipsnade Railway.Joan on theWelshpool and Llanfair Light Railway has a modified Matary/Barreto chassis and a Huxley boiler. |
Kerr, Stuart had a large joiners shop and a significant passenger coach construction business. They were therefore very well placed to build steamrailmotors. Their first was a diminutive2 ft (610 mm) gauge saloon for theMaharajah ofGwalior in 1904 followed by a batch of 12 standard gauge railcars in 1905, six for theTaff Vale Railway, two for theLancashire and Yorkshire Railway, two for theGreat Western Railway, one for theGreat Indian Peninsula Railway[7] and one for theBuenos Aires Great Southern Railway.[8][9] The last two inIndian gauge. The GWR gave a repeat order in 1906 for a further 12 slightly more powerful units. TheMauritius Government Railways ordered one in 1907.[10] The largest rail motor order was for 15 from theItalian State Railways.
In addition to their standard designs, Kerr Stuart accepted orders to build to customers' own designs. From 1900, they built0-4-0T locobrake for theSão Paulo Railway5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge cable incline between Paranapiacaba and Piaçagüera. Six of them are preserved.[citation needed]
Narrow-gauge0-4-0T 652 built in 1899 worked in the docks atWalvis Bay,Namibia until the 1950s and is now preserved in a purpose-built glass-windowed display hut in the forecourt of Walvis Bay station.[citation needed]
Between 1903 and 1904 they produced a4-6-0 design for several Irish3 ft (914 mm) gauge lines. A4-6-2T version was built for theLondonderry and Lough Swilly Railway.[citation needed]
A large3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge0-6-6-0Meyer followed in 1904. FiveAmerican style bar-framed2-8-0 tender locomotives were built for the3 ft (914 mm) gaugeInterocianic and Mexican Eastern Railways. In May 1910 they built a2 ft (610 mm) gauge "modified Fairlie" for service inMadras - two0-4-2T locomotives permanently coupled back to back. They received a repeat order for this combination.[citation needed]
In 1910 a class of four4-2-2 express passenger locomotives designed by E. J. Dunstan were produced for the Shanghai Nanking Railway. In service these locomotives proved to be faster, smoother running, and more economical than the similar4-4-0 engines on the same line.[citation needed]
The company received several orders from the2 ft (610 mm) gaugeGwalior Light Railway in India. This included four large2-8-2 tender locomotives in 1928.[citation needed]
Six superheated4-8-0 mixed traffic locomotives built in 1929 were the last of a series of4-4-0 and4-6-0s built for theBuenos Aires Central Railway ofArgentina.[citation needed]
After the First World War, Kerr, Stuart received a number of large orders from the British mainline railway companies who were seeking to replace obsolete equipment with their own standard designs. In 1920 theMetropolitan Railway ordered eight superheated4-4-4T passenger locomotives for theAylesbury service. Between 1925 and 1927 theLondon Midland and Scottish Railway ordered fiftystandard class 4F 0-6-0 goods locomotives and between 1929 and 1930 the Great Western Railway ordered 25GWR 5700 Class0-6-0PTs.[citation needed]
In the late 1920s a number ofdiesel locomotives were built. These were available with two or three axles for varioustrack gauges. The engines were byMcLaren-Benz in 2-cylinder (30 hp), 4-cylinder (60 hp) or 6-cylinder (90 hp) form. Transmission was mechanical and final drive was byroller chains.[11]
They were very successful even though technology moved on quickly. Further development was stopped when Kerr, Stuart's went into receivership, but theHunslet range of diesel locomotives was based on these. At least 3 Kerr, Stuart diesel locomotives have survived into preservation but none is in original condition having been given different engines.
On 17 April 1930 a petition calling for the company to be wound up compulsorily was presented in the High Court (Chancery Division) by theMidland Bank.[12] At a hearing held on 8 May 1930 this petition was withdrawn on settlement of an £8,000 guarantee.[13] However, the sale of the works to George Cohen, Sons & Co Ltd was announced in August 1930; a skeleton staff was employed to complete contracts in progress.[14] Another winding-up petition was presented on 10 September 1930 and an order was made on 14 October.[15]
At the creditors' meeting held on 14 November Herbert Langham Reed, the company's chairman and managing director,[16] attributed the failure of the company to the locking up of capital in the Peninsular Locomotive Company, registered in India 1921 to build locomotives (Kerr, Stuart held 80% of the capital and loaned £78,000), the [April] winding-up petition, which had resulted in a loss of confidence in the company, and 'to liabilities incurred by the company in supporting other companies'.[17]Company funds had, apparently, been used to finance a company called Evos Sliding Doorways. This company's failure had triggered theMidland Bank petition.[18] InLTC Rolt's autobiography"The Landscape Trilogy" it is also alleged that the company secretary was discovered to have committed suicide in Kerr, Stuart's London offices, and a large quantity of papers was found to have been burnt in the fireplace.[19] The firm's goodwill (designs, spare parts, etc.) was bought by theHunslet Engine Company.
Some locomotives were built byW. G. Bagnall to Kerr, Stuart designs, a result of the chief Kerr, Stuart draughtsman, F. H. B. Harris, and a number of other Kerr, Stuart staff being employed by Bagnall's. These locomotives include examples of theHaig andMatary classes. The last steam locomotive built in Britain for industrial use was a Hunslet-builtBrazil class engine in 1971. This locomotive is now running on the privateStatfold Barn Railway. TheCorris Railway commissioned a new locomotive based on the "Tattoo" design of its original No.4 (KS 4047 of 1921) and this was privately built over a ten-year period and went into service in 2005 as No.7.[20]
Wilbert Awdry based the character of Peter Sam on a Kerr Stuart Tattoo inThe Railway Series.
| Owner | Class | Name | Serial No. | Image | Built Date | Whyte Notation | Gauge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apedale Valley Light Railway | Tattoo | Stanhope | 2395 | .jpg) | 1917 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft (610 mm) | ex-Penrhyn Quarry Railway |
| Amerton Railway | Wren | Lorna Doone | 4250 |  | 1922 | 0-4-0ST | 2 ft (610 mm) | Purchased by RH Neal and sold to Devon County Council. Restoration to working order completed in 2018. |
| Jennie | Hunslet 3905 | .jpg) | 2008 | 0-4-0ST | Built by the Hunslet Engine Company in 2008 to the Kerr, Stuart Wren design, bought privately and housed at the Amerton Railway. | |||
| Sirdar | Diana | 1158 |  | 1917 | 0-4-0T | 2 ft (610 mm) | exKerry Tramway Oakeley Quarry and Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry | |
| Museum of Antigua and Barbuda | Brazil | Marion | 1178 | 1911 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | ||
| Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | GWR 5700 | 7714 | 4449 | 1930 | 0-6-0PT | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | Only Preserved Kerr Stuart Built 57XX | |
| 90 hp Diesel | Redland[21] | K4428 | 1929 | 4wDM | Heavily rebuilt | |||
| Cavan and Leitrim Railway | Dromad | 3024 | 1916 | 0-4-2T | 3 ft (914 mm) | Rebuilt using a hotel boiler and parts from several other Irish locomotives | ||
| Corris Railway | Tattoo | No. 7 | .jpg) | 2005 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) | Design based on the railway's original Tattoo (KS 4047) | |
| Foxfield Railway | Witch | 4388 |  | 0-4-0ST | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | |||
| 90 hp Diesel | Rom River[22] | 4421 |  | 1929 | 6wDM | ex-R&ER, re-engined 1959 | ||
| Great Whipsnade Railway | Brazil | Excelsior | 1049 |  | 1908 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | ex-Bowaters Paper Railway |
| Barretto | Superior | 4034 |  | 1920 | 0-6-2ST | |||
| Leighton Buzzard Railway | Wren | Pixie | 4260 |  | 1922 | 0-4-0ST | 2 ft (610 mm) | |
| Lynton and Barnstaple Railway | Joffre | Axe | 2451 | 1915 | 0-6-0ST | ex-Gloddfa Ganol. Heavily rebuilt, but retaining many original parts, Axe Returned to Steam on 11 November 2008 atWoody Bay for a dedication ceremony to honour the fallen railwaymen of theFirst World War | ||
| Owned byGraham Morris | Wren | Peter Pan | 4256 | 1922 | 0-4-0ST | |||
| West Lancashire Light Railway | Joffre | "Joffre" | 2405 | 1915 | 0-6-0WT+T | ex-Carriers de la Valee-Meureuse et Haut Bain Hydrequent, Pas de Calais, France | ||
| Moseley Railway Trust | Joffre | 3014 | 1916 | 0-6-0WT+T | 2 ft (610 mm) | ex-Gloddfa Ganol | ||
| Beamish Museum | 721 | 0-4-0WT | 2 ft (610 mm) | ex-Dundee Gasworks | ||||
| Ocean Beach RailwayDunedin,New Zealand | Haig | 4185 | 1929 | 0-6-0T | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | Built forKempthorne Prosser. Regularly operated on passenger trains | ||
| MOTATAuckland,New Zealand | Haig | 4183 | 1929 | 0-6-0T | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | This locomotive spent its entire working life withKempthorne Prosser Ltd. at their Westfield (Auckland, N.Z.) fertiliser works. Retired in 1966, it was donated to MOTAT and operated there for a short time until boiler repairs were required. After a period on static display, the locomotive was dismantled during the 1970s for restoration. Ultimately the dismantled locomotive was leased to McDonald's Restaurants, and following restoration was on static display at theirParaparaumu establishment from 1987 to 2008, before being returned toMOTAT where it remains in the locomotive shed awaiting restoration to working order. | ||
| Privately owned by Peter Rampton, Surrey, England | 4408 | 1928 | 0-6-4T | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | ||||
| Philippine National Railways | Cabanatuan | Cabanatuan | 777 |  | 1905 | 0-6-0T | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | This was originally built for the British-owned Manila Railway Company and was the lead locomotive of its class. It is now on static display in front ofTutuban station. |
| Cavite | Dagupan | 1007 |  | 1907 | This saddle tank locomotive was built for Manila Railway and was rebuilt from the originalCavite locomotive. LikeCabanatuan, it is now on static display in front of Tutuban station. One of its parts were damaged. | |||
| Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway,Victoria,Australia | Skylark | Lukee | 742 | 1901 | 0-4-2T | 2 ft (610 mm) | The Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway was formed in 1994 under the auspices of the Red Cliffs Rotary Club to operate the restored 'Lukee', that had formerly operated betweenRed Cliffs railway station and the Red Cliffs pumping station. A two kilometre section of the former 1600mm gauge Red Cliffs – Morkalla branch line has been converted to 610mm gauge for tourist train operation. The train normally operates on the first Sunday of each month from 11am to 4.00pm and on Easter Saturday and the Sundays of the Labour Day and Queens Birthday long weekends. The Train does not operate in January or February because of the fire danger. | |
| Sandstone Steam Railway,Ficksburg,South Africa | Wren | Little Bess | 4031 | 1919 | 0-4-0ST | 2 ft (610 mm) | ||
| 4063 | 1924 | 0-4-2PT | ||||||
| 1344 | 1913 | 4-6-2T | ||||||
| Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway | Brazil | Leader | 926 |  | 1906 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | |
| Premier | 886 |  | 1905 | |||||
| Melior | 4219 |  | 1924 | |||||
| Severn Valley Railway | GWR 5700 No. 7714 | 4449 |  | 1930 | 0-6-0PT | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | Operational as of October 2018. | |
| Statfold Barn Railway | Brazil | Trangkil No.4 | 3902 |  | 1971 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft (610 mm) | The last industrial steam locomotive built in Britain, regauged from2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge. |
| Talyllyn Railway | modified Tattoo | Edward Thomas | 4047 | 1921 | 0-4-2ST | 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) | exCorris Railway No.4; carried same number under CR, GWR, BR & TR ownership | |
| Teifi Valley Railway | Haig | Sgt. Murphy | 0-6-2ST | 2 ft (610 mm) | ex-Penrhyn Quarry Railway, Heavily rebuilt | |||
| Privately Preserved, Kent | Joffre | 2442 | 1915 | 0-6-0WT+T | ex-Gloddfa Ganol | |||
| Vale of Rheidol Railway | Wren | 3114 | 1918 | 0-4-0ST | Formerly carried names Brockamin or Dryw Bach | |||
| Welsh Highland Railway | 60 hp Diesel | 4115 | 6wDM | One of the earliest diesel locomotives in existence | ||||
| Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway | modified Matary with Huxley boiler | Joan | 1927 | 0-6-2ST | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | Originally operated in Antigua, overhauled with a new boiler of revised design. | ||
| Statfold Barn Railway | Joffre | 3010 |  | 1916 | 0-6-0WT+T | 2 ft (610 mm) | ex-Gloddfa Ganol, formerly stored at theYaxham Light Railway | |
| Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, SP (Brazil) | Sinhá Moça (ex-Maceió) No. 1 | 928 | July 1907 | 0-4-2T | 3 ft3+3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) | operational (weekend and holiday tourist services); most authors still believe her to be static atUsina Serra Grande inSão José da Laje, AL | ||
| Usina Serra Grande inSão José da Laje, AL (Brazil) | No. 2 | 1244 | January 1912 | 0-4-2T | 3 ft3+3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) | static | ||
| Usina Serra Grande inSão José da Laje, AL (Brazil) | Mestre Borges (ex-Nesita Forges) No. 4 | 4193 | September 1927 | 0-6-2T | 3 ft3+3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) | operational (tourist services) | ||
| Fives Lille inMaceió, AL (Brazil) | unknown | 4389 | March 1927 | 0-4-2T | 1 ft11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | static (former Usina Cansanção do Sinimbu locomotive) | ||
| Usina Central Olho d'Água inCamutanga, PE (Brazil) | unknown | 4302 | June 1926 | 0-4-2T | 2 ft5+1⁄2 in (749 mm) | static | ||
| Usina Catende inCatende, PE (Brazil) | No. 1 | 1281 | December 1912 | 0-4-2T | 3 ft3+3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) | static | ||
| Fazenda Guaritá inRio das Flores, RJ (Brazil) | Wren | none | 1248 | said to be 1914 | 0-4-0ST | 1 ft11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | operational | |
| 1st Railway Battalion of the Brazilian Army inLages, SC (Brazil) | Wren | Jaguarizinho No. 3 | 1194 | June 1912 | 0-4-0ST | 1 ft11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | static | |
| Fazenda Angélica inDourado, SP (Brazil) | No. 1 | 673 | June 1912 | 0-6-2ST | 1 ft11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | static | ||
| entrance ofParanapiacaba, SP (Brazil) | No. 8 | 668 | 1900 | 0-4-0LB | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | static | ||
| Museu Ferroviário de Paranapiacaba,Paranapiacaba,Brazil | Wren | No. 1 | 1015 | December 1907 | 0-4-0ST | 1 ft11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | static (in operational condition) | |
| none | No. 7 | 671 | 1900 | 0-4-0LB | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | static (in operational condition) | ||
| Fazenda Vassoural inPontal,Brazil | Wren | No. 1 | 1195 | 1912 | 0-4-0ST | 1 ft11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | static | |
| Locomotive Depot atEstação da Luz inSão Paulo,Brazil | No. 2 | 662 | 1900 | 0-4-0LB | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | static | ||
| ABPF - Regional São Paulo inSão Paulo,Brazil | none | No. 4 | 664 | 1900 | 0-4-0LB | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | static (in operational condition) | |
| No. 9 | 669 | 1900 | 0-4-0LB | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | awaiting restoration | |||
| No. 11 | 667 | 1900 | 0-4-0LB | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | awaiting restoration | |||
| St. Kitts Sugar Corp | Brazil | No. 5 | 1314 | 1916 | 0-4-2ST | derelict |
