Braithwaite and Ericsson: William the Fourth
1830 Braithwaite and Ericsson built two engines: William the Fourth and Queen Adelaide for the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway but the engines arrived too late to take part in the ceremony; they were inefficient and were not retained by the railway[1]
They had 5ft. uncoupled wheels and 12in. by 14in. cylinders. They were provided with induced fan draught instead of the forced bellows draught of the Novelty. Owing chiefly to their inefficient boiler power, they were not a success, and were not retained by the railway. They were subsequently used during the construction of the North Union Railway.[2]
1831 'A contract had been entered into by Messrs Braithwaite and Ericsson, with the directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, to construct two engines, each of which should be capable of conveying forty tons from Liverpool to Manchester in two hours, with a consumption of coke not exceeding half a pound per ton per mile. Their engines were to have been delivered to the railway company some months ago; but, after repeated trials, being found incapable of performing the work contracted for, very extensive alterations were made in them at Liverpool, one of which was the addition of a separate cylinder, for the purpose of working the exhausting fan.- These alterations having been completed, the engine, called William the Fourth, was on Friday again brought out for trial. Being loaded with forty tons (gross weight), she started a few minutes after ten o'clock, and, after travelling two hours at the rate of five miles an hour, was in consequence left at a siding near Messrs Bourne and Robinson's colliery at Rainhill, and the goods brought forward to Manchester by Mr Stephenson's engine the Northumbrian.' [3]
1831 'FINAL TRIAL OF BRAITHWAITE AND ERICSSON'S ENGINE. —We mentioned, last Saturday, the journeys made on the preceding day by Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson's engine, the King William, to and from Manchester and Liverpool. Tnese journeys were only preparatory to a trial of the engine with a load of goods, which, we believe, was understood, between the Directors and Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson, to be final, so far as the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was concerned. This trial was made on Saturday morning, when the William started from the Manchester station at fifteen minutes before nine o'clock, with a load of five waggons, the gross weight of which was 20 tons 6 cwt., 1 qr. After getting fairly in motion, the William proceeded for about two miles at a speed of about ten miles an hour, which, however, gradually declined to about six or seven miles, and occasionally to less than five miles an hour ; and it was very obvious that the engineer could not succeed in keeping up an adequate supply of steam. At the conclusion of the first hour, the William had gone exactly eight miles and a half, the greater part of which was on a descent of about four feet in a mile, and the rest a dead level. After proceeding about three miles further, at about the same average rate, two of Mr. Stevenson's engines came up with a load of goods, and pushed on the William and Meteor, which had followed it, to the watering station at Parkside. The William and Meteor were then transferred to the other line, to allow the engines to pass. The William then proceeded towards Liverpool with its load; but, after going two or three miles at the same indifferent rate as before, it became obvious that it would be overtaken by the ten o'clock train of passengers from Manchester, and the Meteor assisted in pushing on the load to the foot of the inclined plane, where the ten o'clock train was allowed to pass. The engineer who had the charge of the William, declined attempting to mount the inclined plane with the load, or, indeed, to proceed any further with it, and the five waggons were, consequently, carried on to Liverpool by the Meteor. — Manchester Guardian, Saturday '[4]