Locomotives 4-4-0 NSR motive power came from a mixture of sources. Before the establishment of Stoke works there was a complete reliance on outside contractors. The first locomotives were either purchased from contractors building the line or firms such as
Sharp Brothers and Company,
B. Hick and Son,
Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson, the
Vulcan Foundry or
Jones and Potts. Originally the resident engineers were responsible for the locomotive stock and the first four holders of this post were all primarily civil engineers. In 1863 the new general manager, Morris, commissioned an outside report on the NSR locomotive fleet which recommended the rebuilding of 50 engines. By the time this report was produced a new engineer, Johnson, had been appointed. He undertook the improvements but the results were unsatisfactory and Johnson left in 1870 after only five years in post. The only significant event of Johnson's tenure was the building of the first engines at Stoke works when three
0-6-0T engines were built in 1868. Johnson's successor, Dodds, fared no better as his patented wedge motion, a type of
valve gear, was unsuccessful. Dodds was dismissed in 1875 and a new post of locomotive superintendent created with a locomotive engineer, Angus, in charge. Although only in post for two years Angus replaced all the wedge motions with
Stephenson valve gear. There followed a long period of locomotive construction internally with all locomotives between 1875 and 1900 coming from the company works. The vast majority of these being
tank engines although a small number of
tender engines were constructed. Most engines, whether tank or tender locomotives were built with either
2-4-0 or
0-6-0 wheel arrangements. An urgent need for heavier goods engines prompted the company to go to contractors and a small number of 0-6-0 designs were purchased from
Nasmyth, Wilson and Company. In 1903 five
0-6-2T engines were purchased from Vulcan Foundry and with the exception of two locomotives for shunting purchased from
Kerr Stuart in 1919 these were the last engines not to be built by the company at Stoke. Apart from engine No 1 of 1848 being named
Dragon only two other NSR engines were ever named, in 1882 Class C 2-4-0 No. 55 was named
Colin Minton Campbell and Class C No. 54
John Bramley Moore after the chairman and deputy chairman of the company, respectively. The NSR also used a small number of
railmotors with three being purchased in 1905 from
Beyer, Peacock and Company. They were used on routes such as the Stoke–Newcastle service but were not a success. The vehicles did survive until grouping but had been taken out of service for some time some years earlier. In addition to the NSR locomotives were the two engines of the Leek & Manifold and the three engines that worked the Caldon Low quarries. The former were purchased from
Kitson and Company and the latter from
Henry Hughes and
W. G. Bagnall. At grouping 196 steam locomotives including the Leek & Manifold and Caldon Low engines were absorbed into the LMS along with the three railmotors and one battery electric locomotive. This last engine was built at Stoke in 1917 for shunting the copper works at
Oakamoor. Four engines under construction at Stoke in 1923 were completed and also added to the LMS stock. Although many of the locomotives were not old, due to the LMS policy of standardisation all NSR engines had been withdrawn from service by 1939. The one exception was the battery electric shunting locomotive which remained in service until 1963. Two NSR locomotives are preserved. NSR No. 2, an 0-6-2T
New L class (one of the four constructed in 1923) and the battery electric locomotive. Both formed part of the
national collection at the
National Railway Museum but in 2016 ownership of the New L class locomotive was transferred to the
Foxfield Railway where the locomotive is now on display.
Locomotive depots The largest
locomotive depot was at Stoke, with 125 engines at grouping. The next largest was Alsager with an allocation of 15 engines. Other NSR depots existed at Macclesfield, Derby, Uttoxeter, Burton and Crewe. Stoke also had sub-sheds at
Market Drayton,
Leekbrook and Ashbourne. NSR engines were also sub-shedded at other companies depots, with arrangements existing at the LNWR sheds at Stafford, Liverpool Edge Hill and Manchester Longsight and the GNR shed at Nottingham Colwick.
Locomotive liveries Up to 1882 locomotives were a bright green with black and white lining with a
Staffordshire knot emblem on the tank or tender sides. Longbottom introduced a new livery of a red brown with black, yellow and
vermilion lining. Longbottom was succeeded by Adams who changed the livery once more to a crimson shade called Madder Lake with yellow and vermilion lining. The knot emblem was replaced by the company coat of arms and the words
North Stafford.
Coaching stock The NSR coaching stock was, even until grouping, predominantly four and six wheeled vehicles. Four-wheeled carriages were the norm from the start and the last were constructed in the 1880s, although by then they had progressed from the unbraked coaches of the 1840s with the introduction of the
communication cord in 1869 and the
simple vacuum brake in 1883. The first
bogie coaches were introduced in 1906 for use on the Derby–Llandudno service and these were followed by further examples until 1923. By 1919 all carriages, except 13 four-wheelers used on miners' trains, had been fitted with steam heating and a number of vehicles had been fitted with through pipes to allow use in trains equipped with
Westinghouse brakes. Most carriages were constructed at Stoke but some were purchased from companies such as the
Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company. One area where the NSR was a pioneer was in the use of electrical lighting being the largest of only three British railway companies to switch from oil to electric lighting and not use any form of gas lighting. The first coach was fitted in 1897 and new stock constructed from 1899 had electric lighting as standard. Conversion of the remaining stock was slow and in 1910 there were still some oil-lit carriages in service.
Coaching liveries Coaching stock was originally claret but in 1875 was changed to Victoria Brown and white (except for branch line trains which carried an all over Victoria Brown livery) with gold and blue lining. Victoria Brown was the same red brown colour as Longbottom had introduced for NSR locomotives. In 1882 waist panels were additionally painted white. This colour scheme lasted until 1896 when it was changed to an overall Victoria Lake (brown) colour with gold and blue lining. Adams changed the livery to Madder Lake in 1903 to match the locomotives, the lining became yellow and red. A final minor change was to paint the waist panels of first class compartments cream to distinguish them. A constant presence was the company coat of arms being displayed on the coach sides.
Goods stock Over its life the NSR built or bought many thousands of goods wagons. Early wagons had
dumb buffers with
spring buffers being introduced from 1870. Early wagons were not of high capacity, typical open wagons only carried . This increased to on average by 1923. The NSR handed over 6,612 goods wagons to the LMS, of which over 5,000 were open wagons for the transport of coal and other minerals. This number was dwarfed by the wagons owned by the pits, ironworks, other industrial operations and traders in the Stoke area. An unusual set of wagons were the bright yellow vans with red lettering owned by the
Barnum and Bailey circus who had their main English depot in Stoke.
Goods liveries Goods vehicles were painted red oxide with white lettering and a white Staffordshire knot. The letters
N.S.R with only two full stops were carried in small letters. From 1912 the letters were increased in size but changed to just
N S with a central knot and no full stops. ==
The Knotty==