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The Dorrigo
Steam Railway & Museum collection includes several industrial shunting
locos with Newcastle & district industrial and mining heritage, reflecting
the collection’s origins as the Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum.
An example is this dinky saddle tank ‘Corby’, which was built by Peckett
& Sons of Bristol to their standard R4 design of 25 ton 0-4-0ST with pistons
of 12” diameter and 20” stroke. Built during World War 2, this locomotive initially
worked at UK metal recovery plants as part of the war effort.
Apparently
surplus by 1951, the little Peckett loco was sold to Stewarts & Lloyds via
a machinery agent. Stewarts & Lloyds specialised in the manufacture of
steel tubes and the loco was named ‘Corby’ in reference to their Northamptonshire
works. Stewarts & Lloyds also operated a tube making plant in Newcastle,
NSW taking feedstock from the nearby BHP steelworks, where Corby was duly shipped
for shunting duties. It remained in this role until displaced by a small diesel
unit in 1973, at which stage it was placed on standby.
Corby
was purchased for the Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum collection
in 1976. It later became the first steam locomotive transported to Dorrigo,
arriving by road in 1980. It has since been transferred to the more recently
constructed display sidings – apparently the site of the intended public
display – where it remains in store with the Dorrigo collection.
The most
complete history I have found for this loco is that provided by John Kramer
in his documentation of the Dorrigo collection ‘The Dorrigo Steam Railway
& Museum – an Illustrated Guide’ as referenced below. In particular, Kramer
provides details of the loco’s assignments and locations in the UK prior to
purchase by Stewart & Lloyds.
A
number of Peckett & Sons locomotives are preserved in the UK, including
an R4 type that is a near doppelganger for Corby!
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