Fletcher, Jennings & Co. was an engineering company at Lowca near Whitehaven, Cumberland, England.
Overview
Fletcher and Jennings took over the business of Tulk and Ley in 1857. From then, until 1884, the company concentrated on four and six-coupled industrial tank locomotives, although other goods such as bridge girders, and blast-furnace shells for the burgeoning local iron industry, were also produced. By then nearly two hundred locomotives had been built and the company acquired limited liability as Lowca Engineering Company Ltd.
In 1905, the name changed again to the New Lowca Engineering Company Ltd., but the company was receiving fewer orders. After a disastrous fire in 1912, all production ceased and the company being finally wound up in 1927.
Surviving locomotives
Preserved locomotives manufactured by the company include:
| Name | Gauge | Type | Build date | Withdrawn | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talyllyn | 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) | 0-4-2ST | 1864 | 42 | Preserved on the Talyllyn Railway in mid Wales | |
| Dolgoch | 0-4-0WT | 1866 | - | 63 | ||
| Sten Sture | 2 ft 9 in (838 mm) | 0-6-0ST | 1873 | - | 119 | Rebuilt to Side Tank form. Located in Sweden. |
| Captain Baxter | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | 0-4-0T | 1877 | - | 158 | Preserved on the Bluebell Railway in Sussex |
| Townsend Hook | 3 ft 2+1⁄4 in (972 mm) | 0-4-0T | 1880 | 1952 | 172L | Preserved at Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre in Sussex. |
| William Finlay | 0-4-0T | 1880 | - | 173L | Bought by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn, Gwynedd in 2016 for display. | |
| Hariette | 3 ft (914 mm) | 0-4-2T | 1883 | - | 190 | Located in Mauritius |
| Regina | 0-4-2T | 1889 | - | 204 | ||
| - | 0-4-2T | 1890 | - | 207 |
Other locomotives
Other locomotives manufactured by the company include:
- Brigham Hall/Rothersyke of the Cleator & Workington junction railway
In fiction
The fictional locomotives Skarloey and Rheneas from The Railway Series and Thomas and Friends, were built by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. (being the twins of Talyllyn and Dolgoch, respectively) Captain Baxter also made an appearance in Railway Series book 18 Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine.
Captain Baxter appeared in the movie Muppets Most Wanted, modified to look like an old American locomotive and renamed to "Randy Stevenot No.3".
Sources
- Kyle, Ian "Steam from Lowca" (1974)
- Wear, Russell "Some further notes on the Lowca Works", Cumbrian Railways, Feb 2002
- Coulls, Anthony (July 2016). The Lowca Legacy. Holne Publishing.
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