The Engines of the Garstang and Knot End Railway

by N Thompson and MA Cook

2. The "Union" 1874-1883.

After the sad episode with the Hebe, the railway found itself in the unfortunate position of having a railway line, but with no engine to run on it. The Directors of the Company made several tentative enquiries through Mr George Bush, their Manager, to purchase an engine for not more than £660. It seems that a suitable engine for the price mentioned was either unobtainable or the vendors had heard the stories of the Garstang and Knot End and their bad debts and steered well clear. So for the next two and a half years the only traffic to use the line was the occasional London North-Western goods' engine bringing coal etc from the Junction to Garstang Town. By the summer of 1874 things had reached a head and some influential persons within the shareholders got together to purchase an engine for the line as a means to, at least, get some return on the money they had invested in the line.

They entered into negotiations with one James Pilling, a railway contractor on the Lancashire Union Railway at Chorley. Having completed the contract he was selling off surplus plant, amongst which was a small 0-4-0 saddle tank contractor's engine of some 10 tons in weight and built by Manning Wardle of Leeds in 1868. For those readers not familiar with railway engines, it may be pointed out that this type of engine was produced by the dozens for railway contractors and works for use in moving materials etc on their sites and not for use by railway companies in general. Their water and fuel capacity was insufficient for any distance work. The Union's capacity being 400 gallons of water and, at best, a quarter of a ton of coal. This was well below what would be needed to operate even as short a route as the Garstang and Knot End. The Union was also under-powered for the work that was expected from it. However, the engine was purchased and delivered to Garstang Junction by October 1874. In the meantime, work was being done to bring the line back into operation and a Mr Wardley of Preston was in charge of this. At last, after two and a half years, the day came for the trial run. On Saturday 20 November 1874 news spread round Garstang that the new engine was expected shortly as the driver was getting up steam to have a run from Garstang Junction to Garstang Town. The news was received with such great enthusiasm that almost all the town turned out to see the spectacle. The following is a extract from the Preston Chronicle of 28 November 1874:-

"The engine arrived, but alas! nothing but disappointment prevailed for instead of a railway engine there was presented to our gazing eyes not even a tramway engine, but such a one as paraded our streets this fair in the form of a hot- potato-roasting engine".

The general opening took place the following day at half past one in the afternoon and again the extract is from the above paper of 28 November 1874:-

"Precisely at 1.30 pm, the engine, minus carriages, trucks, or anything else, except some four or five young men and the engine driver left here (Garstang) for Stákepool. After staying there for a short time, they commenced their return journey; but upon arriving at Bradshaw's Crossing (Garstang Road, Pilling), a tube burst and scalded two or three of the young men, who were so terrified as to leap from the engine at full speed, and had they been on hard land instead of moss, it would most probably have terminated fatally. One young man's descent was so heavy that a spade had to be borrowed from a neighbouring house to dig him out as he had sunk upto the armpits in a moss dyke. The worst did not stop there however, because fire was not where it was wanted and again, it was where it was not wanted. A little would have been useful in the moss dyke, but it was out of place when there had to be a decoction of lime and oil made to extract and alleviate the scalded hands and fingers of the sufferers. When the wounds were enclosed in rags, thread and patches, the darkness was creeping on, so how to get home was the next question. Water all wasted, fire out, fuel done, as there is not room for more than two cwt. of coals, the engine being minus tender. Borrowing of turf, straw and coal was resorted to but not having obtained sufficient they had to get out and 'thrutch' up to 'Tills Crossing', where they again borrowed and kindled up and completed their six mile journey in seven hours. The directors will be substituting a new engine, or would we remind them that the summer season is over in Blackpool, where a few of the Jerusalem ponies could be purchased cheap".

The reference to the tube in the account probably refers to either the glass sight gauge on the boiler or the fusible plug in the top of the crown plate of the boiler which was a safety device built into the boiler against water shortage. It was most probably the plug as an article in the Lancaster Gazette on 12 December 1874 said the accident was through water shortage. If one recalls at the beginning of the article we said the engine was not suited to the job on the line and such an accident points to this.

However, after this set back it seems the company were able to run a service of sorts, although water and fuel still caused problems and, to overcome the water problem, a small wind pump was sighted just east of Pilling Station to pump water for the engine.

The railway gradually got into more efficient running and the problems of the first trip were forgotten. On 23 June 1875 the children of Pilling and Eagland Hill Schools were taken for a day trip to Barnacre and the surrounding countryside. They left Pilling at 7 am and an extract from the Lancaster Observer of 26 June 1875 states:-

"The bulk of the children arrived at Pilling School at 7 am, and marched through the village awakening the good people by a song and cheering lustily at the prospect of the day's entertainment. Arriving at Stakepool, the whole of the rolling stock of the railway was drawn up in array, the little engine of ten tons' weight looking anything but formidable for the undertaking. Time being up, seats taken, doors closed, and preparations made for a start. The engine groaned and puffed, we moved slowly at first, but successfully to the Cockerham Crossing where we picked up a small contingent from Eagland Hill. We passed on to the Junction at Garstang, and alighted. A second train brought up the friends and children remaining at Pilling, making up a total of 302 children and 178 parents and friends".

The return journey was described as follows:-

"They returned to Pilling about 5.30 pm arriving at Stakepool shortly after six, a second train at 7 pm bringing up the remainder of the children and friends. There being no mishaps of any kind, everything passed off pleasantly".

From the times given we assume the average time of the journey by train from Pilling to Garstang Junction, at that time, was between forty-five minutes and an hour, giving an average speed of between six and ten mph.

The 'Union' was involved in a fatal accident on Monday 22 November 1875. The following report appeared in the Lancaster Gazette on Saturday 27 November 1875:-

"John Grayston, who was injured on the Garstang and Knot End Railway on Monday, succumbed to his injuries the same evening. On Tuesday Mr Holden held an inquest on the body of the deceased, at the Royal Oak Hotel, when a verdict of 'accidental death' was recorded. Deceased was 34 years of age, and a labourer, and no blame was attached to anyone as having contributed to the accident which caused his death".

The following is a report from the Lancaster Observer of 26 November 1875:-

"Joseph Grayston, of Nateby, Labourer, deposed that the deceased was his son, and on Monday they were getting toll for cattle as they were brought into Garstang Fair. They finished about half past five o'clock in the evening and then went into Garstang, where they had a squib of gin each. They then left to go home, and went in the direction of the railway. They had no permission to walk along the line, but they did so as it was the nearest way. They reached the level crossing near Garstang Junction about a quarter past six o'clock. He had just got over and the deceased was about to follow him, when the train came and knocked him down. He called out 'Oh father, I'm hurt'. Witness shouted for assistance, and they came from the station, which was only 16 yds off. (There would appear to be a mistake here and we are of the opinion that the station was in fact Garstang Town and not Garstang Junction as quoted in the report, as there were no crossings at the junction, the most likely being Back Lane or, as it is now known, Croston Road.) They carried his son into the station, and sent for a doctor, but the deceased never rallied and died between eight and nine o'clock. the train in the station, nor did he hear the whistle. He could not say whether He did not see the train had started before they began to cross. The line was straight at that particular part. They were both sober at the time. The big gates were closed, but he did not see any light on them. James Alston, of Nateby, railway guard, deposed that he was in charge of the train timed to leave the Garstang Junction at 5.45 pm for Pilling. The train was late and left the station at five minutes past six. Joseph Hodgkinson was the driver and witness gave him the signal to start, and he whistled before starting. The train consisted of an engine and one composite carriage. They had got about 100 yds when the driver gave a shrill whistle, and the train was stopped in about twenty yards. Someone said they had run over something. He put his lamp in that direction, and saw the deceased lying upon the line, and his father kneeling beside him. He went to their assistance, and heard the father say 'Our John wanted to go down the line and I wanted to go on the road'.

Joseph Hodgkinson, the driver, deposed that the lights on the gates cast a strong light across the track, but the men were in the shade beyond, and he could not see the deceased.Henry Till, of Nateby, who was in charge of the level crossing below Garstang Junction, stated that the lights were up as usual on Monday night.

John Noble, Manager of the railway, deposed that he arrived at the station about five minutes after the accident. He found that the deceased was seriously hurt. Both legs completely crushed.

The jury returned a verdict of 'Accidently Killed".

This was the final misfortune to befall the Union and the following week a new engine called 'Farmer's Friend' was delivered to the railway from Messrs Hudswell, Clark and Rodgers. The 'Union' was relegated to second engine until January 1882 when she was sold by her owners, who had been hiring her to the Company. The minutes of 9 February 1882 record the following:-

"That inasmuch as the loco 'Union' has been sold by the owners the Secretary do not enter the sum of £78 amount of 26 weeks' charge of account for its hire and purchase, in the accounts of this Company".

So ended the days of the 'Union' on the track of the Garstang and Knot End. In the future she would be owned by the Fleetwood Salt Works, Messrs Lovatts and ending her days on Liverpool Docks in 1951 as the 'Mermaid".

Material for this article has been taken from the following sources:-

The Minute Books of the Garstang and Knot End Railway Company, 1868-1900. (Now in the possession of British Rail.)
News items from, The Preston Chronicle, The Lancaster Gazette, The Lancaster Observer, 1874-1875. (Deposited at the Lancashire County Library.)
The authors wish to thank the bodies named above for allowing access to these sources.