Hellingly Hospital Railway - Motive Power

Motive Power

Joseph Howe & Company used an 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive to transport building materials during the hospital's construction. The locomotive was purchased new in 1900, and sold in 1903 following the completion of the hospital and electrification of the line.

In 1902, the decision was taken to electrify the railway using power generated from the hospital's own power plant which was also connected to the National Grid. The line was electrified at 500V DC using a single overhead line.

Engineers Robert W. Blackwell & Co provided a small 0-4-0 electric locomotive capable of pulling two loaded coal wagons. It is not known where the locomotive was manufactured, as the company has no record, but the design of the controls suggests that it may have been imported from Germany. A small railcar with space for 12 passengers was also provided. The locomotive and the railcar were each fitted with a single trolley pole used to transfer electricity from the live overhead wire to the engine. The passenger car was used for the duration of passenger services on the line, and the locomotive from the electrification of the line until its closure in 1959. At that time, it was the oldest operational electric locomotive in the British Isles.