Jones, Turner and Evans
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Jones, Turner and Evans of Viaduct Foundry, Newton-le-Willows were locomotive builders
formerly Jones and Yates and John Jones and Co (of Newton)
1837-8 commenced in business. Did contract work for Edward Bury and Co and Robert Stephenson and Co
1838 September. Boiler explosion. Seven persons killed.[1] Two (Three?) more died later.
They provided locomotives for the North Union Railway and the Midland Counties Railway, the latter all 2-2-2 with 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) diameter driving wheels, and 12 in × 18 in (300 mm × 460 mm) cylinders. In 1840, they built two four-coupled 0-4-2s for the MCR. [2]
1840 Built the Fire Fly for the Great Western Railway.
Further orders included engines for the London and Brighton Railway, Great Northern Railway and the Grand Junction Railway.[3]
1844 Arthur Potts joined the company and it became Jones and Potts
1851 Partnership dissolved; the engine series had reached 290. John Jones carried on as John Jones and Sons
1852 The foundry was leased to the LNWR, see Earlestown Works
1863 The last engine was made (for Spain)
From 'Short Histories of Famous Firms' by Ernest Leopold Ahrons [4]
Jones and Potts, Newton-Le-Willows
"This firm originally started operations as locomotive builders at Viaduct Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, at the end of 1837 or beginning of 1838.
At that time a and for five or six years afterwards it was known as Messrs. Jones, Turner and Evans. When the change took place and Mr. Arthur Potts joined Mr. Jones, the writer does not know exactly,but it appears to have been about 1843 or 1844.
Mr Jones was the practical man who took charge inside the works and left the commercial side of the business to Mr Potts, who travelled most energetically all over the country seeking and obtaining orders for locomotives. Some years ago a considerable number of the letters written home to the firm by Mr. Potts were lent to the writer, and from them a great deal of information on the work of the old firm has been obtained."
Steam Locomotives
Broad gauge locomotives built for the Great Western Railway[5]:
1840 Fire Fly, Spit Fire, Wild Fire, Fire King, Fire Brand, Fire Bull
Also an engine named Ajax, has been preserved at the Vienna Technical Museum since 1992. The museum lists Ajax as the oldest engine on mainland Europe.[6]
See Also
Sources of Information
- British Steam Locomotive Builders by James W. Lowe. Published in 1975. ISBN 0-905100-816
- The Engineer 1920/05/14 p508
- Wikipedia