For a number of years in the 1920s and possibly also the 1930s my grandfather worked as a blacksmith in Horwich Loco Works. The works have always, as a result, had a specific interest for me. It has been somewhat saddening over the years to see their gradual deterioration and eventual closure. In November 2019 I finished reading Issue No. 27 of the Railway Archive Journal published by Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press of Lydney, Gloucestershire. I enjoyed reading Jeff Wells article in the journal about the Manchester Exhibition of 1887. [1] The article highlights a number of railway exhibits on display at the exhibition. Among these exhibits was 'Dot' a Beyer Peacock 1ft 6 inch gauge 0-4-0T engine. 'According to the official catalogue, Dot was 'specifically built for working on tramways in yards and workshops, and also adopted for tail-rope shunting of ordinary wagons'. After the exhibition, Dot found work at the L&YR's Horwich Works, joining two other Beyer, Peacock 18 in engines, Wren and Robin, which had arrived in April 1887. Such engines were considered necessary to convey materials around the seven miles of internal works' railway.' http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/30/horwich-loco-works-18-gauge-railway-part-1
Railway World magazine in early 1965 carried a two part article about Horwich Locomotive Works. I always take note of articles about the Works when I find them, as my paternal grandfather worked there in the early years of the 20th century, before the great depression when eventually he moved his family to Stapleford in the Derby/Nottingham area and where he took a job at the Loco Works in Derby as a blacksmith. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/07/15/horwich-locomotive-works-again/
