Gauge: 3ft (915mm)
In common with many civil engineering contractors, equipment was moved between worksites as required. This is true of the 3ft gauge locomotive built by the Hunslet Engine Co. No. 832 in 1903.
3ft Gauge 0-4-0ST built by Hunslet No. 832 in 1903 named COOLMORE for T.S. Dixon, contractor, Londonderry, Northern Ireland for work on the County Donegal Railway contract, Stregal-Ballyshannon.
Believed for disposal 30 January 1906 and sold to McAlpine the same year becoming 22 in their fleet. Worked on McAlpine’s Strabane-Letterkenny contract for the County Donegal Railway 1906-1909 and then by 1912 on their Alwen reservoir contract, North Wales, for Birkenhead Corporation.
During 1912 it moved temporarily to their GNR Little Bytham-Stoke widening contract and returned to Alwen towards the end of that year. By 1917 it was in residence at McAlpine’s Great Stanney Depot, Ellesmere Port. By March 1924 the loco was acquired by Burnley Corporation for use on the Hurstwood Reservoir Contract believed still named COOLMORE.
By December 1924 it was with Lehane, McKenzie & Shand on their Brownhill reservoir contract, near Holmbridge, West Riding, where it received the name BROWNHILL. It was then used on contracts at Gorple reservoir for Halifax Corporation and at Fernilee reservoir for Stockport Corporation moving to Fernilee’s Darley Dale plant yard by 4 November 1937.
It was still there two years later but was then loaned/hired to Balfour Beatty for the wartime Admiralty contracts in Orkney (Scapa Flow improvement works).
It later returned to Lehane’s Darley Dale yard but circa 1945 was acquired by William Trigg, dealer, at Matlock and remained in his yard until scrapped in July 1951.
