DerekC
Established Member
I was going to mention the 60cm gauge South African Beyer Garratts on the Welsh Highland, but now I won't.
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Foreign Locomotives In Britain
- Thread starter Greg Wetzel
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I was going to mention the 60cm gauge South African Beyer Garratts on the Welsh Highland, but now I won't.
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Yes. Delete that post Derek.
randyrippley
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but weren't they built in Manchester anyway?
just a thought...........must have been interesting getting them to the docks when they were first built
Most of them (5 out of 6) were. As previously mentioned, N°87 is the exception, built by Cockerill in Belgium in 1937.
341o2
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Then there are the two USA locos at Shillingstone which came from Yugoslavia. Are these ex USA or home built
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pdeaves
Established Member
I went to Irchester narrow gauge museum at the weekend. They have an unusual steam loco in that it was built in France and supplied to British industry. It appeared from the information panel that this was very rare!
themiller
Member
I believe that the correct term is ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ - I’m sure that’s what’s printed in my passport!
AlbertBeale
Established Member
Yes - the correct name of the state is as you set out. But the discussion earlier on this thread was also to do with the geographical and linguistic description of the main section of he UK (ie"GB" = E+S+W).
It's no wonder that Americans often suffer great bafflement about the geographical and political ramifications surrounding Britain and Ireland and the "what to call what" thereof -- we inhabitants of the region often have, ourselves, enough trouble with those things !
Now I had always thought that -- nowadays, anyway -- it was standard and correct to use "Great Britain" to mean "the biggest island in our archipelago: the one containing the mainlands of England, Wales and Scotland"; but maybe that ain't, strictly, so.
Looking at it purely geographically: it would seem that the Isle of Man is obviously part of / one of the British Isles; but with the Channel Islands being so much closer to France than to our archipelago, it can seem rather quaint to designate them as part of the British Isles -- however, it is for sure that bald logic and common sense, are not the only things in play in these matters !
Now I had always thought that -- nowadays, anyway -- it was standard and correct to use "Great Britain" to mean "the biggest island in our archipelago: the one containing the mainlands of England, Wales and Scotland"; but maybe that ain't, strictly, so.
Looking at it purely geographically: it would seem that the Isle of Man is obviously part of / one of the British Isles; but with the Channel Islands being so much closer to France than to our archipelago, it can seem rather quaint to designate them as part of the British Isles -- however, it is for sure that bald logic and common sense, are not the only things in play in these matters !
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
The Americans get round these definitions by using the terms "lower 48" states, or the "contiguous US" for the principal land mass.
If we went by counties (as they still do in Ireland) we would then have to scratch our heads about what a county was these days (since 1974), and how many there are.
Definitions will get even harder when Hadrian's Wall is rebuilt.
If we went by counties (as they still do in Ireland) we would then have to scratch our heads about what a county was these days (since 1974), and how many there are.
Definitions will get even harder when Hadrian's Wall is rebuilt.
(Getting yet further off the topic of foreign locos in Britain
--) Though Hawaii can cause a bit of confusion there -- quite low down on the map, but way off in the ocean... one gathers that a surprisingly large number of Americans think that their country has 52 states, not the actual 50. Reckoned to be an effect of how for a very long time, it was the same number of states; then within a year or so of each other, two new places -- Alaska and Hawaii -- became additional proper states. Lots of people are kind-of aware of that, but for some reason think "50 + 2" instead of "48 + 2".(Also, I understand that there are a substantial minority of US citizens, not living in New Mexico, who have anyway a "blind spot" about that state -- when it impinges on their lives / jobs in any way, they think that it is in some sort, a foreign country: Mexico proper, or closely bound up therewith; or who knows what? -- they're oblivious to its being a US state like any other. Admittedly, the place having the name that it does, invites such confusion. In the light of, ever since humans have existed, the high incidence of twits becoming confused and getting things wrong -- one feels that when the US annexed the territory concerned, from Mexico after their 1846 -- 48 war with that country: someone in a position to influence the naming of places, should have foreseen this likely future confusion, and done their best to see that the territory was renamed to something altogether different !)
Many alphabetical Internet lists of countries of the world originate in the USA, and the number of different places we might be in the list is, I think, unparalleled elsewhere. I've found us over time under B, E, G, R or U (Britain, England, Great Britain, Royaume Uni [French site] and United Kingdom).
themiller
Member
I believe that the GE diesel loco which became 70801 was built as a European demonstrator. If purely British industrial systems are included, the ex NSB Di8 locos must be included.
themiller
Member
Just a thought, the RABe520 s of he SBB were built to a narrow profile for operation on the Seethal line in Switzerland and would probably just about fit on the UK network. Obviously they were designed for 16.66Kv so wouldn't be able to self power!
Gostav
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I think the GCR(L) had steam locomotive from Continental Europe.
edwin_m
Veteran Member
Contrary to what enthusiasts think, the GCR is not actually to continental structure gauge. I made some enquries many years ago about testing a UIC-gauge coach and it would have needed platform edges removing. You may be thinking of the Nene Valley, where it eventually went instead.
True the G.C.R. did at one time host an N.S.B Class 21c 2-6-0 engine, which are more compact than most European locos and it was able to run.
See https://norwegianlocomotivetrust.com/the-nsb-type-21s/
Not mentioned, so far, are the former DB 211s that worked to Cheriton during Channel Tunnel construction. I well remember seeing one there on 31st August 1991 while on the SEG's 'French Connection' tour, not least as I'd travelled behind five of the class in Germany that week. Sadly, I'd used the last of my film at Sheerness earlier in the day so couldn't take a photo.
EDIT: found the details of the 8 that worked there:
21 - 211 181-3
22 - 211 134-2
23 - 211 267-0
24 - 211 118-5
25 - 211 160-7
26 - 211 189-6
27 - 211 162-3
28 - 211 249-8
Photo of 211 181 at Cheriton: https://www.flickr.com/photos/isispics/6885942032/
Photo of all bar 211 160 & 211 162 stored at Heilbronn in 1993: https://www.flickr.com/photos/141677196@N08/29408263582/
EDIT: found the details of the 8 that worked there:
21 - 211 181-3
22 - 211 134-2
23 - 211 267-0
24 - 211 118-5
25 - 211 160-7
26 - 211 189-6
27 - 211 162-3
28 - 211 249-8
Photo of 211 181 at Cheriton: https://www.flickr.com/photos/isispics/6885942032/
Photo of all bar 211 160 & 211 162 stored at Heilbronn in 1993: https://www.flickr.com/photos/141677196@N08/29408263582/
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EbbwJunction1
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This is Norwegian State Railways Type 21c 2-6-0 No.376 "Norwegian", owned by the Norwegian Locomotive Trust. As you say, she's currently preserved in operational condition on the Kent and East Sussex Railway, and i travelled behind her during the Summer.
Strathclyder
Established Member
Despite now being the only one left, 392 isn't the only Continental tram to have worked at Summerlee, with 2 other such cars having worked there in the 31 years since it opened (with a 3rd being acquired purely to act as a spares donor). Brussels No.9062 & Graz No.225 were the two early runners, with Oporto No.150 being the donor car for the Lanarkshire Tramways No.53 restoration project (150 gave up it's trucks & control equipment). 225 & 9062 formed the backbone of the early fleet since no appropriate Scottish trams were available in the mid/late 1980s, but once such cars became available for service, their usage declined appropriately.
Neither car had a particularly happy ending: 225 was sold in 2010 to the group involved in the restoration of Brighton No.53, latterly being used as a office/storeroom/refreshment room minus it's trucks and pantograph (having acted as a spares donor for No.53); the latest image I can find of it (dated May 2018) shows it has deteriorated significantly. 9062's ending is even more depressing, having to be scrapped after being damaged beyond economic repair in a vandalism attack in September 2004.
pdeaves
Established Member
The Nene Valley Railway has a few 'foreign' things partially mentioned earlier in the thread. The one I went on most recently was a Swedish railcar. I assume the name carried, Helga, is non-original.
And there is another Norwegian 2-6-0 at Bressingham, along with a Kriegslok 2-10-0, though you might not include running on the short Bressingham s.g. line as 'working in Britain'.
Jagdpanther
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The Westoe/Harton Colliery in South Shields had an extensive railway system operating a fleet of German built Siemens electric locos until well into the 1980s. Several of these survive - at least one at the Tanfield Railway plus one at the North Tyneside Railway. The Tyneside one is a 'runner' powered by a converted coal wagon full of batteries.
Perhaps not quite what the OP meant, but back in 2007 we were running a 5ft gauge Finnish 2-8-0 at Epping Ongar Railway. It was a wood burner that we fueled with off-cuts from fire resistant doors and kitchen work tops (They weren't very fire resistant! 
). We only had a 100 yards or so of track in the Ongar good yard. Not very practical, but fun to drive even over such a short distance.
http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=2642
The loco moved from Ongar to the owners farm after the EOR changed hands at the end of 2007.
). We only had a 100 yards or so of track in the Ongar good yard. Not very practical, but fun to drive even over such a short distance.http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=2642
The loco moved from Ongar to the owners farm after the EOR changed hands at the end of 2007.
Ashley Hill
Established Member
What about the three French DeGlehn compounds that operated on the GWR?
lil Bear
Member
Webbing of the cylinders was cut away, plus new side tanks and cab built to fit within the British loading gauge.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
When I last went to New Zealand, I wrote "UK" as my citizenship on the arrival form and the NZ immigration officer crossed it out and wrote "British".
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