Locomotives Built at Hatcham Iron Works: 1856-1861

Aug 27, 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.

1856

Works no. 139 / 2-2-2WT / Inside cylinders 14" × 19" / Driving wheel 4ft 6in / Standard gauge / Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway / No. 123 Carlisle

1856

Works no. n/k / 2-4-0 / Outside cylinders 15.5" × 20" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / South Yorkshire Railway / No. 13

1856

Works no. n/k / 2-4-0 / Outside cylinders 15.5" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / London and South Western Railway Engineering Dept. / Hawkshaw

1857

Works nos. n/k / 2-2-2 and 0-6-0 types / Various cylinders / 5ft 3in gauge / Geelong and South Suburban Railway / Nos. 1–5

1857

Works no. n/k / 0-4-0WT / Outside cylinders 9" × 12" / Driving wheel 3ft 0in / Standard gauge / Sandy and Potton Railway / Shannon

Built for Captain Sir William Peel RN VC, at a cost of £800. Named after the steam frigate he commanded. Captain Peel never saw his railway in operation, dying at Cawnpore on 20th April 1858 after service in the Indian Mutiny. Shannon later passed to the LNWR, then to the Wantage Tramway, where she gave many years of service. She was preserved in 1946 and placed on display at Wantage Road GWR station.

Reg Wilkinson, The Wantage Tramway, Oakwood Press, 2nd Edition, 1995; The Railway Magazine, November 1975, p.579; The Railway Magazine, August 1957, p.588.

1858

Works no. n/k / 2-4-0 / Outside cylinders 15" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / London and South Western Railway Engineering Dept. / Brunel

1859

Works nos. 142, n/k (×3) / 2-2-2 / Cylinders 14" × 22" / Driving wheel 6ft 6in / 5ft 3in gauge / Victorian Government Railway / Nos. 12, 13, 15, 17

1859

Works nos. n/k (×6) / 2-4-0WT / Cylinders 11" × 17" / Driving wheel 4ft 0in / 5ft 6in gauge / Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway

Six ballasting engines were ordered, two of which were shipped and arrived by January 1860. On 2nd November 1859, news reached London that the ship Jessica, containing the other four engines, had been abandoned at sea and was a total loss. The four lost engines were not reordered from George England, being replaced by four similar engines built by the Vulcan Foundry (Nos. 449–452 of 1860).

C.H. Dickson, SLS Journal, 1962, p.144.

1859

Works no. n/k / 2-4-0 / Outside cylinders 15" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / London and South Western Railway Engineering Dept. / Hesketh

1860

Works nos. 160, 161 / 2-4-0T / Cylinders 15" × 20" / Driving wheel n/k / 5ft 3in gauge / Melbourne and Suburban Railway / Hawthorn, Richmond

1860

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0T / Outside cylinders 15" × 22" / Driving wheel 4ft 0in / Standard gauge / London and Blackwall Railway / Nos. 10, 11

In 1866 renumbered 101 and 102 by the Great Eastern Railway. Scrapped January and February 1882 respectively.

H.L. Hopwood, The London and Blackwall Railway, Railway Magazine, January–June 1927, pp.341–342.

1861

Works nos. 156, 157, 158, 159, 164, 165, 166 / 2-4-0ST / Cylinders 16" × 22" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / 5ft 3in gauge / Victorian Government Railway / Nos. 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26

1861

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 / Outside cylinders 14" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / London and South Western Railway Engineering Dept. / Locke, Stephenson

C.H. Dickson, SLS Journal, 1961, p.144.

1861

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

C.H. Dickson, SLS Journal, 1961, pp.144–145.

1861

Works no. n/k / 2-4-0T / Outside cylinders 11" × 16" / Driving wheel 3ft 10in / Standard gauge / London and South Western Railway Engineering Dept. / Scott

Purchased for £1,890 on 23rd January 1862. Broken up June 1909.

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

1861

Works nos. n/k / 2-4-0 and 2-4-0T types / Inside cylinders 15" × 18" / Driving wheel 5ft 0in / Standard gauge / Somerset Central Railway / Nos. 1–8

Eight four-coupled engines at £1,850 each and six four-wheel tenders at £300 each, ordered for delivery in August and September 1861. Construction went ahead as scheduled: by 1st July, the six tenders and four of the engines were assembled and awaiting delivery.

Somerset and Dorset Locomotive History, D. Bradley and D. Milton, David and Charles, 1973, p.17 onwards.

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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