Phoenix Foundry Co (of Ballarat)
of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
1854 Established by William Henry Shaw, Robert Holden, Richard Carter and George Threlfall and initially traded as Richard Carter and Co and Carter and Co
1856 Reported that the business was founded by Carter, Bodycomb and Shaw
1870 November 12th. Incorporated as the Phoenix Foundry Co. with W. H. Shaw as manager. Employing 30-40 persons. Of 543 shares, 173 shares each to W. H. Shaw and R. C. R. Holden.
1871 Built their first locomotive the 'Governor Weld', designed by William Errington, working under William Wanless. This was a 0-6-0T side tank engine with 8 ins diameter cylinders x 16 ins stroke running on a 3 ft 6 ins gauge. The boiler was built by local firm Hickman and Son.
1871 Won contract for ten locomotives for Victorian Railways. Shaw heads to England and America to find suitable plant and machinery for the factory. Most of this machinery is installed by the end of 1872.
1873-1903 Built 343 locomotives for the Victorian Railways between 1873 and 1903, as well as a few engines for private operators, a couple more went to New Zealand.
1873 June. 'The completion of the first locomotive manufactured in the colony has been the subject of much rejoicing at Ballarat, the manufacturers of the engine being the Proprietors of the Phoenix Foundry.'[1]
1905 Company in voluntary liquidation
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Staffordshire Sentinel - Tuesday 10 June 1873
- The Phoenix foundry by Robert Butrims and David Macarthy. Published 2013.