Baguley Cars Ltd

Baguley Cars Ltd (later Baguley (Engineers) Ltd, then E. E. Baguley Ltd) was a British engineering company, specialising in railway locomotives. it was founded in 1911 by Ernest E. Baguley and subsequently acquired by Drewry Car Co to form Baguley-Drewry in 1964.

Share of the Baguley Cars Ltd, issued 29 January 1913

Baguley Cars Ltd.

 

Baguley Cars 1914 4-cylinder car

 

Baguley Cars locomotive Rishra now resident at the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.

 

Baguley works number 774, the first of their 20hp petrol locomotives, now at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

In 1911, engineer Ernest E. Baguley set up Baguley Cars Ltd, taking over the assets of the (then defunct) Ryknield Motor Company at Shobnall Road Works, Burton-on-Trent. The company produced a range of motor vehicles.

In 1912, Baguely entered into an agreement with the Drewry Car Co. to manufacture railcars for Drewry from 1912. The same year, Baguley acquired the stock, order books, designs and patents of McEwan Pratt, which was in liquidation. Baguley formed a new subsidiary - McEwan Pratt (1912) Ltd - to fulfill existing orders. Leonard Bentall, the McEwan Pratt draughtsman, became the chief draughtsman of Baguley and led the design of future Baguley and McEwan Pratt locomotives, which shared many common features.^[1] Robert McEwan also joined Baguley, where he worked until 1921.^[2]

The company did not follow the 'normal' practice of building steam first and then diesel or petrol, but started in the opposite fashion, not building their first steam rail engine until 1919.^[3] But even this was almost an 'accident', as the locomotive was intended to be a petrol hydraulic machine but the transmission components were held up because of the 1914 - 18 war, so it was converted to a steam engine. Altogether the company built some 31 steam locos.^[1]

Baguley (Engineers) Ltd

After the War there was a decline in the production of road vehicles (probably due to competition from other manufacturers) and an increase in the production of railway equipment. Because of this, the name of the company was changed from Baguley Cars Ltd to Baguley (Engineers) Ltd on 10 April 1923. Despite the formal name change, the company continued to use the Baguley Cars Ltd. name for several more years.^[4] W.E.C. Souster took over as managing director of the company, having worked his way up from office boy.^[5]

During the 1920s there was some friction because Drewry complained that Baguley was failing to produce more modern designs of engine and chassis. Drewry began to move their business to the English Electric Company. Baguley (Engineers) Ltd went into decline and entered liquidation in 1931. Most of the plant and effects were sold at auction on 10 November 1931.

E. E. Baguley Ltd

W.E.C Souster and his brother Frederick C. Souster, revived the company shortly after its liquidation with W.E.C serving as chairman and the brothers as co-managing directors.^[5][6] The new company was called E. E. Baguley Ltd. and was located at Clarence Street, Burton-on-Trent; it was registered on 30 April 1932. Initially the company was a repair business for Baguley products, but it soon expanded into locomotive production. In 1934 E. E. Baguley Ltd. moved to larger premises at Uxbridge Street, Burton-on-Trent. This company survived until January 1964,^[5] when it was acquired by Drewry Cars Ltd to form Baguley-Drewry Ltd.

Preserved locomotives

 

Steam outline locomotive Altonia at the Old Kiln Light Railway

The following Baguley locomotives are known to have been preserved:

Name	Gauge	Type	Date	Works number	Notes	Location
^[7]		0-4-0PM	1920	800		Tyseley Locomotive Works
^[7]	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)	0-4-0PM	1916	680	Spent most its working life at Jacobs factory, withdrawn in 1968. Originally had 60/55 hp petrol/paraffin White & Poppe engine, replaced by 40 hp Baguley in 1927	Statfold Barn Railway
TIP No.1^[8]	750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)	0-4-2T	1920/21			Ko Kha District, Thailand
TIP No.8^[8]	750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)	0-4-2T	1921	2009		Wang Kaphi sugar refinery, Thailand
		0-6-0D	1938	3018	Steam outline	East Links family park, Dunbar
Marston, Thompson and Evershed No. 4	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)	0-4-0DM	1955	3140		Chasewater Railway
Rishra	2 ft (610 mm)	0-4-0T	1921	2007		Leighton Buzzard Light Railway
Altonia	2 ft (610 mm)	0-4-0PM	1929	1769	Built for the Lilleshall Hall railway. Transferred to Alton Towers Park Railway.	Old Kiln Light Railway
Golspie^[7]	2 ft (610 mm)	0-4-0PM	1934	3024	Steam outline	Amerton Railway
Dreadnought^[7]	2 ft (610 mm)	0-4-0PM	1939	2085	Steam outline	Amerton Railway
Chattenden^[9]	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)	0-6-0DM	1947	2263	ex-Chattenden and Upnor Railway	Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
No. 760^[10]	2 ft (610 mm)	0-4-0PM	1918	760	10 hp McEwan Pratt design built for the Timber Supply Department. Purchased by Rich Morris in 1965.^[11] Displayed at Gloddfa Ganol until 1998, when sold to the Abbey Light Railway	Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
Oakeley^[10]	2 ft (610 mm)	0-4-0PM	1919	774	Built for the Pennal timber tramway. Purchased by Oakeley quarry in 1927. Bought by Rich Morris in 1970, and displayed at Gloddfa Ganol until 1998^[12]	Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
No. 646^[10]	600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)	0-4-0PM	1918	646	10 hp McEwan Pratt design built for the Timber Supply Department. At Gloddfa Ganol until 1998^[13]	Moseley Railway Trust
No. 736^[10]	600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)	0-4-0PM	1918	736	10 hp McEwan Pratt design built for the Timber Supply Department. At Gloddfa Ganol until 1998, sold to the Abbey Light Railway	Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
Draisine D7 RFR	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)	0-4-0	1917			Montabon railway roundhouse (France) [fr]

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  Draisine D7 RFR

References

1. Civil, Allen; Etherington, Roy (2008). The Railway Products of Baguley-Drewry Ltd. and its Predecessors. The Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 9789015564417.
2. "Light Railways Ltd". No. 28. The Industrial Railway Society. December 1969. pp. 172–187.
3. "Exceptionally cheap to save removal". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 16 January 1929. 0-4-0 Saddle Tank Loco., Baguley Cars, new 1919, rebuilt 1925
4. "Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen". Derby Daily Telegraph. 29 November 1926.
5. "Mr. W.E.C.Souster". Birmingham Daily Post. 27 April 1964.
6. "Rugby men will pat last tribute". Birmingham Daily Post. 11 August 1967.
7. Industrial Locomotives: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Vol. 16EL. Melton Mowbray: Industrial Railway Society. 2012. ISBN 978 1 901556 78 0.
8. "Baguley locmotives". Steam Locomotive Database.
9. "7 Chattenden". Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
10. Industrial locomotives 1979. Industrial Railway Society. 1979. pp. 240–2412. ISBN 0901096385.
11. . Tracks to the Trenches. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
12. Quine, Dan (February 2017). "A history of Baguley 774". Talyllyn News.
13. "The Moseley Railway Trust".

Sources

• "The Drewry Car Company:1906-1970". Industrial Railway Record (40). Industrial Railway Society. 1972.
• Marsden, Colin J. (2003). The Diesel Shunter. Oxford Publishing. ISBN 0-86093-579-5.