The Engines of the Garstang and Knot End Railway by N. Thompson and M. A. Cook

4. Jubilee Queen 1897 - 1927
5. New Century 1900 - 1927

With the winding up of the Garstang Engine Company in 1896 and subsequent sale of the engine Hope, leaving the railway with only one engine on the line, decision was taken by the Managers of the Company, Major Mounsey and John Noble, that the railway could now afford to buy its own engines. On the 15th December. 1896 an order was placed with Hudswell, Clark and Company of Leeds for an exe works, standard design, 0-6-0 saddle tank, driving wheels 3' x 6" with outside cylinders of 15" x 20",' weight in working order 29tons 17cwts. The new engine named Jubilee Queen was delivered to Garstang Station on the 14th July, 1897 Works No. 484. The total cost of the engine was £1,280. It is believed that the engine was black with red lettering and lining.

With the arrival the Farmer's Friend was relegated to the position of second engine.

At the time of the purchase of the Jubilee Queen the entire rolling stock of the railway consisted of two engines, four carriages and forty six wagons including brake vans.
The Jubilee Queen was probably involved soon after its arrival on the line with the transportation of some 10,000 tons of pipes for the Fylde Water Works Company into Pilling Station.

The Lancaster Standard of Friday, January 27th, 1899 reported:

"Railway Travellers in an Awkward Position.
On Wednesday morning the "West Coast Mail", better known as the Knot End Train leaving Garstang shortly after eight in the morning, to run in connection with the London North Western Railway for the North and South, was the cause of some little uneasiness to its passengers. The driver having been engaged shunting had backed up to the passenger carriages, and when the time came to start off with a puff and a scream the engine and wagons started off, to the consternation of the passengers seated in the carriages which were left uncoupled. It was not until rounding the curve that the driver discovered his loss, for which be reversed his engine and went in search, much to the relief of his passengers. The Preston train was delayed for a few minutes, and the human freight of delinquent train being transferred were set off again on their Journey."

The curve mentioned above is about three quarters of a mile from Garstang at Taylor's Bridge.

The railway company faced with a large bill for repair to the Farmer's Friend part exchanged it with the order for a new engine on the 17th November, 1899. The order was again placed with Hudswell, Clarke & Co. and again for another 0-6-0 ex-works, standard, saddle tank of the same design as the Jubilee Queen. All dimensions and weights were the same as the Jubilee Queen. The engine was delivered to Garstang Station on the 17th May, 1900, name 'New Century', Works No. 559, total cost £1,550. The New Century is believed to have been painted green with gold letters and lining.

At the time the New Century was delivered the rolling stock of the company consisted of two engines, four carriages and forty two wagons, four wagons having been taken out of service as unserviceable, being the remains of the old rolling stock of 1870. Jubilee Queen and New Century differed only very slightly in appearance, the latter having a longer chimney and round smoke box door, Jubilee Queen having a D-shaped smoke box door.

Locals who remember the engines have told us that the New Century was used mainly for goods traffic and was slower than the Jubilee Queen. Although In 1903 according to the following press report it would appear different:

"Lancaster Standard and County Advertiser
Friday, August 21st, 1903. Page 5, column 7.

Garstang Past and Present

No-one can approach Garstang without being struck by the primitive service of the Garstang and Knot End Railway. Here is a study in the old order and the new quite ready to hand. Side by side are the great metal highway of the London and North Western Railway, along which dash hourly the greyhound locomotives of that system, and the old time coaches of the Garstang and Knot End Railway. You board one of the latter if you are lucky enough to arrive at one of those lucky intervals when the Lilliputian train is about to depart - and you are conveyed at something very far removed from lightning speed to your destination. There is no necessity for you to book before starting, for the carriage in which you are seated is also the booking office, and the official is a personage in whom is concentrated quite a number of duties - guard, booking clerk, and general overseer of the train. The engine which draws the train boasts of the title "New Century", and has supplanted a locomotive long familiar to passengers of the route who bestowed upon it the not too poetic name of "The Pilling Pig". But it is in your roomy compartment that you can suppose, without any .great strain upon your faculty of imagination, you are one of the first passengers on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The complete service to Knot End by the way, has not yet been completed, Pilling up to the present being the terminus; but Garstang people have a lot of belief that the extension will be made at that remote and indefinite period, 'some day'."

Both engines along with all the other assets of the Garstang and Knot End Railway were transferred to the Knott End Railway Company on the 1st July, 1908. The New Century had been employed by the Knott End railway for 12 months before it opened carrying ballast, sleepers and track. The Knott End Company paid the old Garstang Knot End Company the sum of £55,000 for their line and stock.

The company also bought a new engine the Knott End and new rolling stock fitted with vacuum brakes. Both Jubilee Queen and New Century were returned to Hudswell Clarke for vacuum systems to be fitted so as to be able to work the new stock.

During the First World War the line was under government control, the line being handed back to the Knott End Railway in 1919. During 1920 the New Century had major repairs carried out on the boiler and other parts. Although the minutes for 1920 are missing a London North Western Memo of 28th February, 1923 from the chief mechanical engineers office who had inspected the engines, prior to the railways regrouping of that year, says: -

"The company own four small tank engines, of these three are in good condition, having been completely repaired, including copper fire boxes in 1920 and 1921." The letter ends saying, "Mr. Worthington the manager, states that nearly £6,000 was spent on reconditioning the three engines, this being equal to the price of three new engines." It is known from the minutes of 1921 that two of the three engines were Jubilee Queen and Blackpool. The New Century must have been repaired in 1920. The fourth engine, the Knott End was the subject of a minute of the 15th March, 1922 in which; "the Chairman reported that the Manager had stated that the Locomotive Knott End was no longer required owing to the diminished goods traffic of the railway and had recommended that the locomotive should be sold without attempting to have it repaired. The engine could not be run without repairs." The Secretary's letter dated 28th February, 1922 to the Manager was read and the price for the sale of the Locomotive was fixed at £1,150. The Manager's letter of the 14th March, 1922 giving a list of names and addresses of firms who had made enquiries was submitted.

The Minute of the 21st April, 1921:-
Locomotive Jubilee Queen. The Manager's letter of the 2nd March, 1921 to Hudswell, Clarke & Co. of Leeds accepting their quotation of £2,546 for repairs to the Locomotive Jubilee Queen was approved.

In July 1923 both engines along with the Blackpool and Knott End which had never been sold (probably because no buyer came forward) were transferred to the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company in the railway regrouping of that year. Both the Jubilee Queen and New Century were cut up at Crewe in 1927.