What is Davy ?
Background
Davy was delivered to ICI in 1951 from the English Electric Company's Vulcan Foundry and spent the whole of his operational life at the ICI works in Winnington and Wallerscote. He is the sole survivor of five 0-6-0 shunters that worked at these locations, the others being called "Perkin", "Cavendish", "Newton" and "Joule".
Davy is very similar in appearance to the standard EE shunters, such as classes 08, 09,10 and 11. However, with the exception of the fact that dual air/vacuum train brakes are fitted, the loco possibly has more in common with the class 11 in that it has smaller driving wheels giving a much better tractive effort. (The locos that would have become B.R.class 11 were not fitted with any train brake equipment which in turn guaranteed their early withdrawal.)
Operational History
Garry Brookes, who used to live near to the works, told us that Davy's normal duties included taking trains from the ICI works to the interchange sidings. The two works railway systems were linked in two places, both for inter-works traffic and also to allow traffic from both works to use one interchange yard if the other was closed by an accident or track repair work.
Davy took trains to Oakleigh Sidings from the Winnington works and to Gorstage Sidings from the Wallerscote works (via the Gorstage Light railway).
Garry, who took the next photos and has kindly allowed us to use them, also says: "Davy is seen here on 9th April 1970 in the headshunt of Gorstage Sidings, near Weaverham. It has just been painted out of the 'ICI Blue' livery to the new light grey & orange livery. Gorstage sidings is the interchange yard for ICI Wallerscote Works, which connects to Hartford LNW Junction". (© Garry Brookes)
Again, quoting Garry (mainly for accuracy's sake): "Davy is seen here on during August 1971. Davy hauls a train of outgoing COVHOPS containing Soda Ash into Oakleigh Sidings from ICI Winnington Works. A train of full Limestone hoppers can be seen in the far road, whilst another road has a train of 21-Ton mineral wagons bringing in coal slack from Yorkshire. Oakleigh Sidings connects to the main CLC line via a triangular junction near Greenbank Station." (© Garry Brookes)
Once again, sincere thanks to Garry for allowing us to use these somewhat rare photographs, and also for providing us with such a detailed account of the locomotive and its perhaps mundane, but nevertheless very interesting years under the ownership of I.C.I.