Spondon Electric Locomotive No. 1| Power Supply | 200v from on board batteries or overhead wire | | Length Over Buffers | Unknown | | Transmission | Two 35hp traction motors driving axles via reduction gearing | | Weight In Working Order | Approximately 12 tons | | Wheel Diameter | 2 feet nine inches | | Why is it in the collection? | This locomotive is a basic design that illustrates the construction of robust traction needed in certain quarters of british industry where either steam or diesel was not an option due to operating constraints or electricity was simply a cheaper alternative. The equipment on the locomotive is very much of its era and owes much to tramway technology. |
THE HISTORY OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
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The locomotive was built by the English Electric Company in 1935 for the Derbyshire And Notinghamshire Electric Power Company Limited for use at their power station at Spondon, near Derby. It was the first of three locos built between 1935 and 1946. This loco was given the works number of EE905 by its builder and as the first of the fleet of locos to be delivered to Spondon power station it was, naturally, number 1 by its owners.
The loco was employed to haul trains of coal delivered to the main line yard at Spondon LMS/BR station along a mile long branch to the power station and shunt wagons as required. It was a job both number 1 and its sisters did without any alteration until the early 1980s. During this time the loco changed owners twice. The first was when the power station became part of the nationalised CEGB in 1948 and the second a few years prior to the end of the locos working life when the CEGB sold the power station to a private company by the name of Courtaulds. It was this second change of ownership that heralded the end of the electric locomotive operation at Spondon as the firm already owned a fleet of diesel shunters on an adjacent site it was soon found more economic to use the diesels at both sites, thus displacing the three Spondon electric locomotives.
All three were sold on: No. 1 along with numbers 2 & 3 went into store at the Hammerton Street depot in Bradford as they were acquired for the proposed Spen Valley Electric Railway project. This scheme failed to get off the ground and th locos were disposed of. No 2 went to the Foxfield Railway, whilst No. 3 went for scrap. No 1 was acquired for the ill fated Transperience Museum, also in Bradford.
When the Transperience museum collapsed with excessive debts in 1998 all the assets were sold at auction, A member of SERA bought Spondon No.1 and has brought it to Coventry to join other items of historic electric traction based there. In 2008 the owner, who took up a post overseas, placed the loco on long term loan to Electric Railway Museum Limited who have set about its full restoration.
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An early photo, taken by the builders of
Spondon Locomotive Number 1 in its original condition.
Photo: Mark Bowman collection.
Spondon locos at Hamerton Street in 1985, No.2 is behind No.1 and on the left is Kearsley No. 3.
Photo: Hamish Stevenson
Spondon Number 1 pictured in the Autumn of 2000 after it had been repainted by its owner into a controversial blue and red livery.
Photo: G. Gleaves
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