Hints on researching Private Owner Wagons

[Ocean Swell]

Hi

I was wondering where to look for information on ownership/registration of PO wagons. Specifically Z. Fairclough and sons of Clacton-on-sea and Thorpe-Le-Soken. They owned a brick kiln, road-roller and road construction company and furniture removal company.
They may have owned their own wagons or pehaps leased them they certainly owned some transport/shipping containers as I have seen a picture of one marked Z. Fairclough on a horse drawn wagon dated 1925.
I am curious about this as Zach Fairclough was my Great-Great Grandfather.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm definitely no expert, but as nobody else has stepped in, can I ask if you think it might be worth writing, via a publisher if necessary, to either Keith Turton or Bill Hudson, both of whom might perhaps be kind enough to offer you some hints based upon their own work? I imagine however that it is easier to find information about PO wagons in general than it is to hunt down one specific owner's details. Maker's records once obtained must be a mine of information about all sorts of vehicles, but not necessarily the specific one you want. I also imagine that once your interest in PO wagons becomes known, you get offers of information, but again, not necessarily the specific thing you want.
I recently happened, quite by chance through conversation in the course of my proper work, to discover that I was talking to a coal merchant (in his 70s) whose family yard had formerly adjoined Grimsby Town station. Prior to the government assuming control of the railways for WW2 he says they had operated 254 wagons, which seems a staggering number given the small size of the yard, but they apparently supplied by rail to many surrounding stations and yards. I may in due course get to see a photo of one the wagons, but this is all sheer luck!

[rob237]

Wonder if Dapol, a prolific producer of PO wagons over the last decade, might offer you some general guidance - on an informal basis? Once raised a query with them re the colouring of certain East Midland colliery PO wagons and received a pleasant and fulsome response. Clearly, they have access to much PO information...
Cheers
Robt P.

[65447]

You do come from an interesting family - road rollers, coal merchants, charabancs, brick works, road named after them - and that's only the first page or so of results.

I didn't reply earlier because there was nothing to tell - neither Bill Hudson nor Keith Turton have, so far, mentioned Fairclough in any of the 14 books.

However, I shall make enquiries elsewhere. Have you been in contact with the local library or history society (by e-mail or letter of course)?

[Ocean Swell]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I have located and ordered a copy of a book called "Bricks & Rollers" that is a history of the Fairclough family. The scanned sample page had an OS map of Thorpe-le-Soken station and showed a private siding running to the brick kiln so I am hopeful there will be details of rail traffic and private owner wagons (if any).I will let people know when the book arrives. I have also learnt that one of the Faircloughs' steamrollers called the Clacton Queen has been restored, although it is not currently running.

Cheers

[Atlantic 3279]

I should clarify: I was thinking that Bill Hudson or Keith Turton might give you hints on how to do it, not serve up a ready made answer. I'm sure if they already had full details these would have appeared in one of their books and you would know all about it by now.

[65447]

A search of the following sources reveals nothing:

Hudson - 4 volumes of Private Owner Wagons plus his Oakwood Press book; David & Charles British Railways Wagons; Peter Matthews POW Wagon sketches; OPC Gloucester RC&W; HMRS Ince Waggon Works; All the various Lightmoor Publications books on Wagons (Turton, Bristol, Gloucester, Forest of Dean); The Thomas sketchbooks; Model Railway News, Model Railway Constructor and Railway Modeller; and various journals such as those of the GER Society and HMRS.

The only PO Wagon operator and coal merchant in Clacton appears to be J Buxton, described in plate 64 of Hudson's Private Owner Wagons Volume 1. Transfers and a pre-finished kit for this are available from POWSides in 4 and 7mm scales: http://www.powsides.co.uk/www.powsides. ... rch=buxton That's not to say that other PO operators, such as Moy, did not also have wagons running into the area.

The history that you have ordered may or may not include the following:

Essex County Standard for 4th August 1900. Zachariah Fairclough - cab-proprietor - was charged with obstructing the footpath at Clacton on July 12th, 1900. He was fined 5s. with 13s. costs or seven days.

Essex Standard for 4th August 1888. Zachariah Fairclough - hackney carriage driver - was charged with carrying a great number of passengers in a wagonnette than was allowed under the byelaws of Clacton-on-Sea. He pleaded guilty and was fined 2s.6d. and 11s.9d. costs.

Essex Standard for November 12th 1887. Henry Hurst - dealer - Zachariah Fairclough - carter - and Ambrose Hodges - stonemason - all of Great Clacton, were charged with allowing animals to stray on the highway on 26th ult. Hurst and Fairclough were fined 5s. each with 11s. costs and Hodges 2s.6d. with 11s. costs. There was a long list of previous convictions recorded against Hurst and Fairclough had also been previously convicted.

He appears in the Essex Standard for 29th October 1881. Zachariah Fairclough and John Fairclough, brickmakers, Great Clacton, were summoned for trespassing in search of conies (sic - rabbits) on land in the occupation of Herbert Nicholson of Great Clacton, on 2nd Oct. Fined 2s.6d. each.

[Ocean Swell]

"Bricks and Rollers" arrived today and while I haven't read it all the way through yet It doesn't make any mention of private owner wagons. The Faircloughs brick company generated alot of railway traffic (coal in bricks out) and they supplied bricks to the GER and CVHR. Later they moved steam rollers and road building equipment by rail but as far as I can tell they must have just paid for transport rather than have there own wagons.

65447
I wish I'd known about those traffic fines when I was still living at home and had my parents giving me grief over speeding fines!

Cheers for your research efforts and suggestions everyone.

[Steam Mike]

Hi. If you are looking for the Faircloughs removal van in the book Bricks and Rollers it was left on a farm and all that was left of that was just the frame, I too am a Great Great Grandson of Zac.
I look after the Clacton Queen Steam roller along with a team of volunteers. We found out about the removal van when we were looking for the drivers living van. I believe that it landed up some place in Norfolk, that's what I was told.
Mike

[jwealleans]

Have you tried approaching John Arkell, the Private Owner Wagons Steward of the HMRS?

http://www.hmrs.org.uk/stewards/index.php

[65447]

Closer to home than the HMRS, I note that last Monday Nigel Bowdidge of the GERS was giving a talk in London about PO Wagons on the GER, using as his primary source the extensive collection of pre-Grouping photographs from the Windwood Collection, copies of which are in the possession of the GERS. There was also a series of articles on PO wagons in early issues of the GERS Journal, which were not available in digitised form when you first posed the question and are only available to members.

If you care to PM me I will provide you with Nigel's e-mail address...