Museum of Science and Industry

MOSI is appealing to anyone who may have information about the bell which once summoned staff to work in the Beyer, Peacock locomotive factory in Gorton, Manchester. The Museum is hoping to include the missing bell in an event on 14-16 August, to celebrate 100 years since the Beyer-Garratt locomotive was developed at the factory.

MOSI aims to gather upto 100 Beyer-Garratt locomotives and models to the free centenary event, which will be launched by record producer and railway enthusiast Pete Waterman. There will be a chance to see rare, working examples of Beyer-Garratts in the atmospheric surrounding of the Museum – which is itself housed in the buildings of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station (1830). The Museum also hopes to attract former employees from the Gorton factory, which at its height employed over 2500 people in Manchester. The bell would be on display over the weekend as a reminder of the once-thriving factory, and to help trigger memories by former staff at the works.

MOSI director Steve Davies said: “The old bell would have rung several times a day in the factory and would have had a very distinctive sound. It would be great to include it in the celebrations for the Beyer-Garratt centenary, as sound is a powerful trigger for memories and we’re keen to get first hand accounts of peoples’ lives in the factory. If anyone has any information about the whereabouts of the missing Beyer, Peacock bell, we would love to hear from them.”

Beyer, Peacock exported its steam locomotives all over the world, but its standard products often couldn’t cope with the difficult terrain overseas. In 1907 Herbert William Garratt designed an articulated locomotive to help trains cope with sharp bends and steep gradients. The locomotive type became known as the Beyer-Garratt, and the design became so successful that a total 1636 Garratts were produced by various companies, which ran on 86 railways in 48 countries.

Steve added: “The development of the Beyer-Garratt marked a significant turning point in steam locomotive history. Garratt’s design allowed mass transport for thousands more people and larger amounts of freight per engine through some of the most difficult terrain in the world. We’re delighted to mark its centenary with a series of events and we also hope to hear from anyone who has their own Beyer-Garratt locomotive, of any size, or who worked at the Gorton factory. As part of our centenary celebrations in August we want to gather Beyer, Peacock’s former employees.”

The Museum owns a 1930 Beyer-Garratt, which was built for the South African Railways, and ‘Pender’ the tank engine, built in 1874 by Beyer, Peacock for the Isle of Man. As well as the Beyer-Garratt gathering, the centenary celebrations will include an archive display in the collections centre between July-September, and a Beyer-Garratt open day in the Collections Centre archive open day on 15 August.

Beyer, Peacock was founded in Gorton, Manchester in 1854 by Charles Frederick Beyer and Richard Peacock. The factory closed in 1966 and the company became dormant although the name was resurrected in 1990 as a trading name, based in Devon.

If you have information about the Beyer Peacock bell or would like to find out more about the mass gathering of Beyer-Garratts on 14-16 August please contact Chris Barnett on Tel: 0161 606 0214 c.barnett@mosi.org.uk

For more information, photography requests or archive images please call Sarah Roe on 0161 606 0176 m: 07847 372647 or Diane Inglis on Tel: 0161 606 0173.

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