Richard-Brasier 24hp Car, 1903

 

 The Richard-Brasier car company was the product of the co-operation of Georges Richard, a small car manufacturer, and M Brasier, formerly a designer for the Belgian car company of Mors. This French company earned a good reputation in 1905 when a Richard-Brasier won for France the Gordon Bennett Race that year, however in that same year Georges Richard went to work for Unic, who made London taxis amongst other vehicles, and M Brasier continued on his own. This 1903 24hp Richard-Brasier limousine cost £770 when it was sold to Lieutenant Colonel MF Gage, who later sold it to Captain JV Taylor who used it up until the First World War. It was presented to the Shuttleworth Collection by Captain JV Taylor's relations in 1956.

North British Railway poster, 1907

North British Railway poster from 1907 advertising services to the 6th International Motor Exhibition at Olympia. A reproduction of the poster can be bought from - http://www.past-reflections.co.uk/copy_of_Motor_Exhibition.html

Aurora 250cc Motorcycle, 1904

 

 This is the last surviving Aurora motorcycle, built in Coventry in 1904. Like many early, small motorcycle manufacturers it was literally built in someone's back yard - the address being 22 Norfolk Street, Spon End, Coventry, a typical terraced house. The company did not last long - it was started by a Swiss national, Charles Bourquin, in 1902 and ceased production in 1905, when it is alleged he absconded to London with money and goods belonging to the company and other people, and vanished.

   

 The motorcycle has a very low profile showing that it was either built or modified for racing at some point, and interestingly is powered by an Aurora built engine, when small manufacturers like this, including Aurora, usually bought and fitted other company's engines. Other interesting features - or lack of them - include no clutch, brakes or suspension! It has been restored to running condition and is described as 'exciting' to ride. It can be seen at the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire

 

Bristol Boxkite Biplane, 1910

 

 The Bristol Boxkite was the first aircraft built by the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company (soon to be known as 'Bristol'). Named the Boxkite owing to the appearance of the aircraft, it was a 'pusher' with the engine, usually a 50hp Gnome rotary engine, facing the rear of the aircraft mounted at the rear of the lower wing. To add further to the strange look of this design, the elevator is mounted forward of the wings.

 

 

 This slow, two seater aircraft was designed and mainly used as a trainer aircraft, it's stability making it very suitable for this role. From it's introduction in 1910, seventy-six (a very large amount for such an early aeroplane) were built including to military customers such as the Royal Flying Corps and the Imperial Russian Air Service. None survive today, however three replicas were built for the superb 1965 film 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines'. Fortunately one replica is kept airworthy at the Shuttleworth Collection and when the weather is calm enough takes to the air where I was fortunate enough to see it fly in September 2012.

 

Manchester Horse Drawn Tower Wagon, 1911

Although most tramways had moved to electric traction in the early 1900's, it didn't mean the complete end of horses employed on the tramways - the new elevated electric power lines meant that tower wagons such as this were needed to maintain and repair them. Some companies used motor wagons (such as Leicester which had Leyland's), and others had horse drawn tower wagons, such as this one used in Manchester and built in 1911. The platform at the top is on a turntable to improve access - in modern terms, the closest equivalent would be a cherry picker

Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Electric Locomotive Number 2, 1917

 

 Compared to the rather ungainly No 1, which proved to be a failure, the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway's second electric locomotive, No 2, had a defined purpose. No 2 was an 0-4-0, with all four wheels powered, and did not require any external infrastructure such as overhead wires or a third rail, being powered by internal batteries. No 2 emerged from Horwich works in July 1917, having been under construction slowly for over a year, and was designed to shunt coal wagons at Clifton Junction power station, which in turn produced electricity for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway's electrified Manchester & Bury line.

 

No 2 replaced five electric capstans which instead winched the coal wagons, and No 2 could haul three fully laden 20 ton wagons at a time, and it's batteries had enough charge for 25,000 miles between overhauls. A 1/76 (OO Gauge) kit of No 2 is available to purchase - http://chrisgibbon.com/webftp/Pages/lyrbatterypage.htm

 My thanks go to the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society for the very generous permission and sending of these images which I believe are unseen on the internet before. Please visit their website to see a lot more interesting Edwardian railway images.

 

Watch '"Round Britain" Air Race', 1911

 Film footage and photographs of the 1911 'Round Britain' Air Race, from 22nd July - 25th July. The race was one of the inspirations for the superb 1960's film 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines', one of the best Edwardian era films. This was uploaded to YouTube by Bomberguy

Crouch 8hp Carette, 1912

Now in the Coventry Transport Museum, a stones throw away from the location of where this car was built in 1912, this unusual early three wheeler was designed by JWF Crouch, an engineer who had been an apprentice with Daimler and a driver for Deasy before setting up his own company in 1911. It is a good example of the small, more economic motor cars that were more and more popular in the lead up to the First World War. Driven by an 8hp water cooled engine, which powers the single rear wheel by chain drive, these Crouch 'Carettes' were very reliable and competitive with other cars, and gave economy of up to 50 miles a gallon. This Crouch is shown as owned by a Suffragette who is using it as a way to get around town putting up posters

Newcastle Tram 102, 1901

This large tram is a unique survivor of a workmen's tram car, built to carry large numbers of workmen in a single car, not as comfortable as a 'traditional' tram car but able to offer cheaper fares. Most trams of the era were built with four wheels, however to cope with the large capacity, Newcastle 102 was built with eight wheels, arranged in a pair of four wheeled bogies. Newcastle 102 was built as a single deck tram by Hurst Nelson of Motherwell near Glasgow, but was rebuilt in 1903 with an upper deck. The change from single deck to double deck to increase capacity accounts for the rather cramped platforms for the driver and conductor at each end, with a tighter staircase.

There is a similar looking, but shorter and four wheeled, Newcastle Tram of similar vintage surviving - Newcastle 114 of 1901 at Beamish - http://electric-edwardians.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/newcastle-class-tram-114-1901.html

 

Hawthorn & Leslie Saddle Tank Locomotive 'Henry', 1901

Built in 1901 by the Tyneside industrial locomotive maker of Hawthorn & Leslie, this small steam saddle tank locomotive (saddle tank meaning the distinctive type of water tank fitted - sat over the boiler, like a saddle) is an 0-4-0ST, with four coupled driving wheels. It was built for Webster's Brick and Lime Works in Coventry, and was originally named 'Rosabel' after the daughter of the Managing Director, Henry Webster, of the London & North Western Railway, as the locomotive hauled wagons laden with bricks over the LNWR's line between Coventry and Nuneaton. During WW1 it hauled large naval guns being built at the Coventry Ordnance Works, and eventually in 1928 was renamed 'Henry' by it's new owners at British Celanese at Spondon near Derby, named after Dr Henri Dreyfus, the Swiss chemist who was the chairman of British Celanese.

 It is seen here in April 2012 at the Barrow Hill Engine Shed near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and is a superb typical example of an Edwardian industrial locomotive employed by private owners at large industrial sites such as brick works as in Rosabel/Henry's case, factories, breweries, coal mines etc etc