Wigan Album

Fred, this is a hunch, others may know better, but I would guess it was made at Richard Evans' Haydock Foundry, perhaps as a colliery engine at his Haydock Colliery.

This specimen was built by Robert Stephenson & Co, in 1879.

I bow to AP's superior knowledge. Any idea where it worked?

Sorry! I have not been able to find anything about the locomotive. I also await any narrative from anyone, concerning its history, and if any local connection.

The builder, along with date form part of the exhibit's label at the museum at Penryn Castle. I have entered it in the on-line steam locomotive data base, but that supplies no further information. Robert Stephenson would have been quite familiar with Haydock: he was one of the partners, along with Charles Tayleur, who created The Vulcan Foundry in Earlstown.

I've only just got this info on loco Haydock. It was used at a place called Lay Bye timberyard at the side of the Manchester ship canal at Warrington.Lay Byewas used to supply timber the Richard Evans pits,(later National Coal Board). When major repairs were req'd it would come by main line via Earlstown to Haydock foundry. at other times loco fitters would go out to Lay Bye for maitenance.

https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/works-no-2309-haydock-0-6-0t/

I have recently acquired a scroll (paper on cloth) of original technical drawings for this loco - drawn by G. Heppell, chief locomotive draughtsman at Robert Stephenson Co Ltd, Newcastle and dated 1877. They are for 4 locos - works numbers 2309, 2310, 2383 and 2384. The loco mentioned here was works number 2309 built 1879. I think it is preserved at Beamish nowadays. Although I may move the drawings on I will keep photos.

Beamish tell me that the move of Haydock" to them fell through for logistical reasons; so I assume it is still at Penrhyn Castle. A member of the Isle of Wight heritage railway discovered my last posting whilst searching for information about a sister loco called "Freshwater". This was Robert Stephenson Co Ltd Works Number 2383, i.e. one of the other locos built from the drawings I have. As well as "Haydock", works No 2309, there were 3 other engines built to the same design. "Freshwater" was used by a contractor to built the Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway but was scrapped in the 1930s. The original drawings of 1877 have now therefore passed to the IOW Railway Museum, although I have kept high quality photographs and James Risley printers, Wallgate, have produced a full size copy from these.