Locomotives Built at Hatcham Iron Works: 1862-1867

Aug 25, 2022 | Archive

The Challenge

Kingston University design student Benny approached Maybrey Precision Castings with an innovative aluminium door handle concept that formed part of his final-year project. Having already produced a 3D printed prototype complete with the appropriate draft angles for sand casting, the initial objective was to manufacture a sample casting to validate the design.

Following the successful sample, Benny wanted to progress to a production-ready solution. As a student working within a limited budget, commissioning a professionally manufactured pattern was not financially viable, so he made the decision to manufacture the pattern himself at the Kingston University workshop.

To achieve a fully functional casting, the door handle required a hollow section at one end to accommodate the fixing mechanism. This introduced an additional level of complexity, requiring not only a pattern but also a correctly designed core box and core print arrangement to produce and accurately locate the sand core within the mould.

Our Solution

Working closely with Benny throughout the project, our technical team provided guidance at every stage of the tooling design process. Through a series of video calls, we discussed the complete pattern design, including impression layout, moulding box size, pattern orientation and the overall setup required for successful production.

Particular attention was given to the design of the core box and core prints. We explained how the positive core print on the pattern and the corresponding negative feature within the core box would accurately locate the sand core during mould assembly, ensuring the finished casting incorporated the required hollow section.

Using this guidance, Benny produced the complete pattern and core box design in CAD before submitting it to Maybrey Precision Castings for technical review and approval. Once approved, the tooling was manufactured at the Kingston University workshop.

Collaboration and Delivery

With the tooling complete, Benny visited our foundry in Aylesford, where he experienced the complete sand-casting process first-hand. Working alongside our experienced foundry team, he was shown each stage of production, from mould preparation and pattern setup through to core placement, aluminium melt preparation and the pouring of the moulds.

This collaborative approach enabled Benny to see how design decisions made during the development phase directly influenced the manufacturing process, providing valuable practical experience that cannot be gained in a classroom environment alone.

The Result

The finished aluminium castings met the design requirements and demonstrated a successful transition from concept, through tooling design, to completed cast components.

Benny was delighted with the finished door handles, which were exhibited at Kingston University's end-of-year showcase. The quality of his project led to his selection to exhibit at the prestigious New Designers Show in London, where emerging designers from across the UK present their work to industry professionals.

This project demonstrates Maybrey Precision Castings' commitment to supporting innovation and developing the next generation of engineers and product designers. By sharing our technical expertise and working collaboratively throughout the design and manufacturing process, we helped transform a student's concept into a professionally manufactured product ready for national exhibition.

Whether restoring history, supporting innovation or creating something entirely new, Maybrey Precision Castings combines traditional foundry craftsmanship with modern engineering expertise to turn ambitious ideas into exceptional castings.

Compiled by Grahame Hood. Format: Year / Works No. / Wheel arrangement / Cylinders / Driving wheel / Gauge / Operator / Name or number.

1862

Works nos. 185–192 / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 24" / Driving wheel 6ft 6in / Standard gauge / Great Western Railway / Nos. 149–156 (No. 154 named Chancellor)

Around 1862, A.R. Rosling recalled seeing in the erecting shop in Pomeroy Street two 2-4-0 long-boiler engines standing apart with their tenders, both painted in blue. These were eventually sold to the London and South Western Railway about 1865 as Nos. 201 and 202. He noted:

"These locomotives were remarkable for having two safety valves, one lock-up and one spring balance, which were provided with covers of the shape designed by Sir Daniel Gooch for his broad gauge engines after he abandoned the haycock dome, and made famous by the Lord of the Isles class. No other instance of the transportation of this design of cover to a railway unconnected with the Great Western Railway is known to the writer."

A.R. Rosling, Locomotive Building in London, Railway Magazine, November 1907, p.387.

1863

Works nos. 199, 200 / 0-4-0T / Outside cylinders 8" × 12" / Driving wheel 2ft 0in / 1ft 11.5in gauge / Festiniog Railway / No. 1 The Princess, No. 2 The Prince

1863

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0T / Outside cylinders 11" × 16" / Driving wheel 4ft 0in / Standard gauge / Colne Valley and Halstead Railway / Cam, Colne

1863

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / Somerset and Dorset Railway / Nos. 9, 10

1864

Works nos. n/k / 0-4-0T / Outside cylinders 8" × 12" / Driving wheel 2ft 0in / 1ft 11.5in gauge / Festiniog Railway / No. 3 Mountaineer, No. 4 Palmerston

1864

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / Somerset and Dorset Railway / Nos. 12, 13, 14, 15

1865

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Outside cylinders 16" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / London and South Western Railway / Nos. 201, 202

Accepted 18th August 1864, paid 13th October. Transferred to the Engineers Department as No. 9 Harrison and No. 10 Bidder in August 1875 and April 1876 respectively. Both broken up June 1889.

C.H. Dickson, SLS Journal, 1961, p.145.

1865

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 24" / Driving wheel 6ft 0in / Standard gauge / Somerset and Dorset Railway / Nos. 17, 18

1865

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 24" / Driving wheel 6ft 0in / Standard gauge / South Eastern Railway / Nos. 215–218

Originally part of an order for 20 locomotives (Nos. 215–234). Only four were completed and accepted by the SER following the 1865 strike. Of the remaining ten, two went to the Somerset and Dorset Railway and the rest to the Belgian West Flanders Railway (Flanders Occidentale). C.H. Dickson notes they may not have been delivered to Belgium until 1868, and some sources indicate two were sold to Genoa, Italy, with six going to Belgium.

C.H. Dickson, SLS Journal, 1961, p.211; Somerset and Dorset Railway History, D. Bradley and D. Milton, David and Charles, 1973, p.22.

1865

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 24" / Driving wheel 6ft 0in / Standard gauge / West Flanders Railway (Flanders Occidentale) / Nos. n/k (six to eight locomotives)

"In 1863 Messrs England and Co supplied six engines to the West Flanders Railway Co, which were also of Mr Cudworth's No. 185 type. The divided fire-boxes, however, which formed the principal feature of that design, were removed after some experience in Belgium, and replaced by others of the Belpaire type. Thus altered, all six engines are still working in Belgium (1909). Some have been rebuilt with boilers of a different design, but all the class are still at work after a life of forty-four years, which speaks very well for the workmanship put into their engines by England and Co."

A.R. Rosling, Locomotive Building in London, Railway Magazine, November 1907, pp.386–387. Note: Grahame Hood observes the dating in this account may refer to engines delivered as late as 1868 as part of the cancelled SER order.

1867

Works nos. 234, 235 / 0-4-0T / Outside cylinders 8.5" × 12" / Driving wheel 2ft 2in / 1ft 11.5in gauge / Festiniog Railway / No. 5 Welsh Pony, No. 6 Little Giant

1867

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Inside cylinders 16" × 24" / Driving wheel 6ft 0in / Standard gauge / Neath and Brecon Railway / No. 1 Neath, No. 2 Brecon

Maybrey Achieves Future Net Zero Platinum Award

May 2, 2025 |

Maybrey Precision Castings, as part of the Caro Group, has been awarded the Future Net Zero Platinum Award: the highest level of the FNZ programme and the most rigorous independent certification available for carbon reduction in UK manufacturing. The Platinum award...

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