User:Steamscenes/Burrell Sandbox

Showmans Road Locomotives

 * Beginnings
 * Design Differences
 * Scenic Engines
 * Notable Engines
 * Final Engines



The first engine produced by Charles Burrell & Sons Ltd specifically for traveling showman was works number 1451, "Monarch" which was completed in 1889 for the Welsh Showman Jacob Studt who was based at Maesteg, Glamorgan. The engine however did not carry a dynamo for generating electricity or many of the brass adornments found on later showmans engines. In the next 10 years the market for showman's grew rapidly and in this short period the company had produced in excess of 50 engines specifically for traveling showground equipment. In July 1894 Charles Burrell & Sons produced their first Showmans Engine with a plantform attached to the front smokebox, a feature which they patented. This engine was supplied to the Pat Collins & Sons who worked the showgrounds of Birmingham and the Midlands, and later became one of the companies biggest customers of showground equipment.

Several early engines were fitted with Burrell's single crank compound system, however due to the size of these early engines this was abandoned and the more common double crank compound layout was settled upon with showman never reverting to any other form. Showman specified their engines to be detailed decorative items far in excess of any other type of engine. Engines were normally red with yellow wheels, but others were finish in blue, green or even yellow.

The Scenic class of engines was the largest and most powerful type of Showmans Road Locomotive produced by Burrell. The larger fairground rides that were starting to be introduced in the 1910's presented serious problems for the showmans engines of the day. The electrical power required to start the rides often caused the engines driving belt to be thrown off or broken. A patent was taken out in 1911 by Hackett and Whatham providing for the separate excitation of the main dynamo by a separate, smaller auxiliary dynamo driven from an extended shaft on the main dynamo. . Additionally these engines were fitted with rear jib cranes for the handling of scenic railway cars. The first of these, engine number 3827 called "Victory" was completed in 1920. Rear job cranes were fitted to a number of competitors engines at the time but Burrell's design improved on others by extending the tender sides at the back of the engine and a circular tube being mounted by a swivel bracket at the top of these extensions. The wire rope contained within the drum on the rear wheel was then used for hoisting.

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The final engine Showmans Road Locomotive produced by Burrells was a special scenic engine which was called "Simplicity". The engine was ordered from Charles Burrell & Sons but was actually completed after the closure of the St Nicholas works when work was transfered to Richard Garrett's in Leiston.

General Purpose Engines

 * Differences in design
 * Customers
 * Burrell compared to the rest
 * Final engines

Production of General Purpose Traction Engines at the St Nicholas works began in the early 1860's. Much of the details concerning the first generation of traction engines produced by the company did not survive and it is unclear how many engines Charles Burrell & Sons built prior to 1867 or details of their exact design. It is however known that an engine produced by the company won a silver medal at the 1863 Hamburg International Exhibition. Somewhere in the region of 20 general purpose engines were produced between the start of production in around 1863 until 1868 with engines generally being sold to local East Anglian customers. During the early evolution of these basic designs no two engines were built alike, but all were produced with chain drive to the back axle however by the 1870's this was becoming out-dated technology and in 1880 the company abandoned chain drive and moved over to gear driven engines. Following this many of the remaining chain driven examples were returned to the St Nicholas works and rebuilt as geared engines and thus chain driven Burrell engines had all but disappeared by the turn of the century.