Machins Make You Loco

Two instalments in one day (Am I spoiling you readers? :- )

Back to a subject ( Machins and Railways ) which I wrote about a couple of months ago.

Well would you believe it? First we discover a Pub with the name of Arnold Machin and now I find that there is a Locomotive with the same name. I do not know much about this engine, or for that matter if its name is dedicated to the same man. But I get this sneaky notion that it is.

What I do know

The engines home is now in Scunthorpe, England, UK. This is where these photographs were taken. Judging by the photographs (which I have downloaded). The engine is in Private hands, I think the present owners are The Eccles Slag Co Ltd ( their name is across the top of the cowling of the engine ) who sub contract for Corus, a steel making company. They ( Corus) have have a factory in Scunthorpe, England, UK. and are the third largest steel producers in the world.

Corus are a subsidiary of British Steel plc, and produce uncoated and coated strip, tubular, and semi-finished products.

Details of the registrations and the name of the engine can be seen on plates which are bolted to the cab: The actual makers of the Loco were WG Bagnall Ltd, of Stafford England, which is interesting in the fact that Arnold lived, was born and worked in the Potteries for Minton and Wedgwood as a sculpturer.

Both the Minton and Wedgwood's factories are also in based in Stoke, Staffordshire.

They ( W. G Bagnall ) first registered the engine as number 3151 in 1962. Of note is the fact that this is (was) long before Machin designed his famous plaster cast.

Was the engine named upon completion by the makers or after it went into service?

A second plate reads that it was registered in 1968 by the British Transport commission as Number 3309. there is also a third plate which reads 36 ( stroke) above the letter F. It is a long time since I collected train numbers but I am presuming this is the shed number. Either way, it is another interesting bit of trivia that us Machin enthusiasts can ponder over.