Living with
GETTING TO KNOW OUR FAVOURITE LOCOS
Steam locomotives come in all forms, shapes and sizes, but perhaps none are as unusual as crane tanks. Something of a rarity in preservation, these humble workhorses have a fascinating history.
Crane tanks are some of the most distinctive and idiosyncratic locomotives ever built. Certainly, it’s easy to see why, especially in terms of their quirky appearance. Yet, they fulfilled a vital function at many docks and industrial settings, moving heavy and awkward loads, performing many tasks which would later be carried out by forklift trucks.
Main line cranes
The first crane locomotives to be built in Britain were actually conversions, carried out by John Ramsbottom at Crewe Works in 1866, as heavy rebuilds of London & North Western Railway 2‐4‐0 ‘Crewe’ type locomotives. The tenders were jettisoned, but the side plates were used to create side tanks and new boilers were provided. The first appeared in 1866, with two others being similarly rebuilt in 1873.
Between then and 1950, when the last example built in Britain trundled out of the works of Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd, around 220 such locomotives had been built, mainly for the needs of industry but also by main line railway companies. 157 of them were used in Britain and 66 were exported; of those employed in Britain, the majority were used in steelworks; some by railway companies, various engineering firms, in shipyards, and even by the Admiralty. Two were sent to international exhibitions.
Of the main line users of crane tanks, the LNWR built eight 0‐4‐2CTs between 1892 and 1895, designed by Francis Webb but based on pre-existing 0‐4‐0ST shunters designed by John Ramsbottom, of which No. 1439 is part of the National Collection and displayed at the Ribble Steam Railway. The London & South Western Railway built three 0‐4‐0CTs in November 1894 for use at Nine Elms, Northam, and Wimbledon, while the South Eastern Railway had two 0‐4‐0CTs, Nos. 302 and 409. Built by Neilson & Co. in 1891 and 1896 respectively, they were all-but identical to surviving Neilson 0‐4‐0CT Works No. 4004 Hodbarrow No. 6, albeit with less substantial cabs.
The Great Eastern Railway had three crane tanks, converted from 1868-built 0‐6‐0Ts originally designed by Samuel Waite Johnson (who went on to greater fame with the Midland Railway). The first, No. 205, was converted in 1891, receiving a larger boiler, lengthened frames and wheelbase at the rear, and a crane in the bunker. Nos. 204
