Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Co
of Openshaw, Manchester
The business was established by John Ashbury in central Manchester, and moved to the suburb of Openshaw in 1847.
1863 Company renamed when it took limited liability
1866 The ironwork of the impressive Mugi Viaduct for the Sao Paulo Railway was supplied by the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Co. The steeply inclined girders crossed undulating terrain and a river, supported by ten iron piers seated on masonry pillars. The iron piers were assembled from flanged cast iron 'pipes' with wrought iron cross-bracing. The tallest pier was about 150 ft high. There were ten spans of lightweight lattice girders, 4 ft 6" deep, 66 ft 2" long, and one of 45 ft. The viaduct was built with a curve of 30 chains radius. The contractors were Robert Sharpe and Sons. Their engineers and agents were Mr Henderson A.I.C.E., succeeded by A. L. Light, M.I.C.E. Also employed on the works were Messrs Kitching (Ketchum?), E. and W. Ware, Kirkwood, Topham, J. Bolland, Madely, Ramsey, Rupert Swindell, and Edward Willis. The Engineer-in-Chief was James Brunlees, and the Resident Engineers were D. Makinson Fox M.I.C.E. and W. H. Rankin, M.I.C.E.[1]
1869 Advert. Manufacturers of railway carriages and wagons, tyres, axles, structural ironwork, cranes [2]
1875 Legal case.[3]
1876 A very small railway carriage, 9 ft long, built for the Ffestiniog Railway was paraded through Manchester in the May Day procession. [4]
1878 'Railway Carriages for the Imperial Family of Russia. The Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company Limited, Openshaw, have just completed two saloon carriages for the Imperial family of Russia, and which will be principally used by the Grand Duke Michael and his consort, on the Poti-Tiflis Railway. The length of each carriage is 29ft. 2 1/2in., and 10ft. wide, and 8ft. 8 1/2in. high from the floor to the roof. Both contain travelling and dining saloons, lavatory, retiring rooms, sleeping compartments, and other conveniences, all fitted up in the most magnificent style. The carriages have been built from the design and under the superintendence of Colonel Wm. d'Alton Mann, and the work is extremely creditable to the builders.'[5]
1880 Made five horse-drawn trams of the Eades patent reversible type for Wigan Tramways Corporation. [6]
1884 A large modular cast iron railway water tank, standing on eight cast iron columns, has survived at the site of St Mary's railway station in Tasmania. Made by Ashbury's in 1884 [7]
1887 'The New Railway Viaduct at Ancoats. The new viaduct constructed by the Midland Railway Company at Ancoats was inspected by Major Marindin for the Board of Trade yesterday, and after exhaustive tests of every part, it was pronounced by him to be very satisfactory and ready for passenger traffic. Messrs. John Etheridge and Co., of this city, carried out the work. The Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company, of Openshaw, made and erected the iron bridges.' [8]. This is the presumably the bridge which crossed the valley of the River Medlock near Ancoats Bridge, having plate girders with three sets of eight cast iron columns as intermediate supports.[9]
1899 'THE CENTRAL LONDON LINE. CARRIAGES FROM MANCHESTER. The Central London Railway is now rapidly approaching completion. There have been many complaints in the city of Loudon owing to the block caused by the company through their works underneath the streets of Cheapside, Newgate-street and Oxford-street, by which the traffic was so much blocked: this will now very shortly be over. There was a very interesting trial yesterday at the works of the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company Limited, Manchester, when the Chairman (Sir J. W. Maclure. Bart., M. P.), the general manager of the company, Mr. Charlton, and other officers of the company started the first carriage out of 125 carriages ordered for this important undertaking. The trial was most successful. In order to secure every point, the carriage will run over the North-Eastern system for some days. The design of the carriages to all appearance is perfect for the special traffic of the line of this character, which is a deviation from the present systems, as is entirely worked and lighted by electricity. Travellers on underground railways generally by this system will be relieved of nine-tenths of the fouling of the air, and at the same time attain an equal, if not a higher, speed of travelling. The names of Sir Henry Oakley and Sir Richard Farrant will ever associated with this company, and from their experience it is believed they are conferring great benefits on the metropolis.' [10]
1902 Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Co was registered on 18 April and incorporated as a limited company to amalgamate 6 companies including Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Co
1949 Liquidators appointed[11]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] The Engineer, 23 November 1866, pp 406-8
- ↑ Bradshaw’s Railway Manual 1869
- ↑ Swarb
- ↑ Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Saturday 6 May 1876
- ↑ Manchester Times - Saturday 10 August 1878
- ↑ Wigan Observer and District Advertiser, 4 August 1880
- ↑ Industrial Archaeology News, Issue 160, Spring 2012
- ↑ Manchester Evening News, 3 November 1887
- ↑ [2] Manchester City Council archive photo showing railway bridge
- ↑ Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Friday 31 March 1899
- ↑ London Gazette 10 June 1949