German Interloper in Kent
A unique and curious locomotive for UK industry, 0-4-0 fireless Arthur Koppel (Works No.2499 built in 1907) in action at the Empire Paper Mills, Greenhithe, on the south bank of the Thames on 21st April 1971. The numbering on the steam vessel cladding was to aid reassembly whenever the vessel was stripped down for inspection and testing, but this did not take place again for it was scrapped just eight months after this photograph was taken. In order to conserve steam expenditure, bells rather than whistles were usually fitted to such fireless locos. The firm of Arthur Koppel was one of the Orenstein and Koppel partners and were dealers in the supply of locomotives and railway equipment and used to quite often affix their own plates to any equipment they supplied. This was in fact an Orenstein and Koppel locomotive, built at Drewitz near Potsdam in Germany, and the works number was in their allocated range. This is one of only six foreign-built fireless locomotives that are known to have worked in the UK.
© Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission
German Interloper in Kent
A unique and curious locomotive for UK industry, 0-4-0 fireless Arthur Koppel (Works No.2499 built in 1907) in action at the Empire Paper Mills, Greenhithe, on the south bank of the Thames on 21st April 1971. The numbering on the steam vessel cladding was to aid reassembly whenever the vessel was stripped down for inspection and testing, but this did not take place again for it was scrapped just eight months after this photograph was taken. In order to conserve steam expenditure, bells rather than whistles were usually fitted to such fireless locos. The firm of Arthur Koppel was one of the Orenstein and Koppel partners and were dealers in the supply of locomotives and railway equipment and used to quite often affix their own plates to any equipment they supplied. This was in fact an Orenstein and Koppel locomotive, built at Drewitz near Potsdam in Germany, and the works number was in their allocated range. This is one of only six foreign-built fireless locomotives that are known to have worked in the UK.
© Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission