18-inch gauge · 1871–1913
A small gauge.
A long story.
Steam and paraffin locomotives that worked at Chatham, at the Arsenal, and on the lines between.
Browse the register26 locomotives.
One narrow gauge.
The historic register records 25 steam locomotives and one paraffin locomotive associated with Chatham Dockyard’s narrow-gauge railway.
Some arrived new; others came from Woolwich Arsenal. Several were transferred to military railways or sold on. The entries below bring together builder numbers, acquisition notes and recorded fates.
Search the
locomotives.
Filter by name, builder, works number, wheel arrangement, or a detail in the recorded history.
| Name / description | Wheel arrangement | Builder & works number | Acquired | Disposed / later history |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Raglan | 0-4-0ST | MW 353 · 1871 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | Scrapped between August 1914 and March 1916 |
| Trafalgar | 0-4-0ST | MW 386 · 1871 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Busy Bee | 0-4-0ST | MW 424 · 1872 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Burgoyne | 0-4-0ST | MW 448 · 1873 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Fidget | 0-4-0ST | MW 506 · 1874 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Iron Duke | 0-4-2T | VF 838 · 1878 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | Scrapped in 1914 |
| Unnamed Handyside trial engine | 2-4-2T | FW 399 · 1878 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Unnamed Handyside trial engine | 2-4-2T | FW 400 · 1878 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Unnamed Handyside trial engine | 2-4-2T | FW 401 · 1878 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Unnamed Handyside trial engine | 2-4-2T | FW 402 · 1878 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Unnamed Handyside trial engine | 2-4-2T | FW 403 · 1878 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Unnamed Handyside trial engine | 2-4-2T | FW 404 · 1878 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Comet | 0-4-0ST | MW 910 · 1883 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Vulcan | 0-4-2T | VF 989 · 1883 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Mercury | 0-4-2T | VF 1075 · 1884 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Mars | 0-4-2T | VF 1160 · 1885 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | Woolmer Military Railway · 1906 Note 1 |
| Venus | 0-4-2T | VF 1161 · 1885 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | Woolmer Military Railway · 1906 Note 1 |
| Flamingo | 0-4-2T | JF 585 · 1885 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | Woolmer Military Railway · 1906 Note 1 |
| Arquebus | 0-4-0ST | MW 1130 · 1889 | Ex Woolwich Arsenal | J. F. Wake, Geneva Works, Darlington · 1919 Note 2 |
| Khartoum | 0-4-0ST | MW 1429 · 1899 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Prompt | 0-4-0ST | MW 1430 · 1899 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Sunbeam | 0-4-0ST | MW 1614 · 1903 | New | Sold in 1937 |
| Shamrock | 0-4-0ST | MW 1636 · 1904 | New | Recorded as scrapped or sold |
| Thistle | 0-4-0ST | DK 26 · 1912 | New | Sold in 1937 |
| Ready | 0-4-0ST | MW 1808 · 1913 | New | Sold in 1937 |
| Alecto | 2-4-0 | RH 7226 · 1904 | New | Woolwich Arsenal Railway · circa 1905 |
No locomotives match that search.
1 Transferred to the Woolmer Military Railway in 1906.
2 Sold to J. F. Wake, Geneva Works, Darlington, in 1919.
Decoding the
works numbers.
- DK
- Dick, Kerr & Co. Ltd.
- FW
- Fox, Walker & Co.
- JF
- John Fowler & Co.
- MW
- Manning, Wardle & Co. Ltd.
- RH
- R. Hornsby & Son.
- VF
- Vulcan Foundry Ltd.
The builder abbreviation and works number are followed by the year the locomotive was built.