Oldest Operational Loco on the Railway

18/07/2008

This weekend sees the celebration of 100 Years of Barclay 1147 "John Howe"

JOHN HOWE was ordered by Howe’s Plaster Works in 1908 to operate between their private sidings (HOWES SIDINGS BOX) on the Settle & Carlisle near CUMWHINTON in Cumberland as it was then and their works at Cocklakes. The private branch contained quite a severe gradient up to the works of which little trace is left to-day. Howe’s Plaster Works became the CARLISLE PLASTER CO, (remember Carlite Plaster and Carlite Bonding) it later became a part of British Gypsum.

The lum (chimney to us in Preston) lost its bell mouth early on in order to be able to access the sheds at Cocklakes The loco never had a nameplate and the lettering reflects that shown on the official Barclay photo. The current boiler was fitted in the 1950s. All the time the loco was at Cocklakes it was driven by members of the Long family and as far as we know John Long was the last.

If you look at the buffer beam you will see that there are holes below the existing buffers. These were there to take a set of secondary buffers that would match up with the wooden wagons that were used at Cocklakes and are of a type similar to those used by Victorian railway contractors. The official photo shows these fitted.

"John Howe" arrived in Preston in April 2006, and has been a regular performer now for three seasons, including this year, his 100th Birthday- So why not visit, raise a glass and maybe even enjoy some Birthday cake to this old soldier!