Shell Fireless Locomotive

[Chico1968]

A nice wee slide I bought of the Shell Fireless Steam Locomotive at the Shell Refinery,Ardrossan,photographed on 4/9/1973.Taken by the late Mike Wood of Birmingham.The copyright remains his.Now restored and operating at the Dunaskin Industrial Railway Museum in Dalmellington.

[Penny Tray]

My only recollection of the train that operated at the Shell Refinery has it 'green' in colour. I don't ever remember it being yellow????? I've been wrong before though .

[Chico1968]

Hi Penny, the locomotive originally had a dark green livery. I'm guessing that the loco was painted yellow in the sixties or seventies. They yellow paintwork wasn't all that great with the green showing through a bit in places.

[MANBEAR]

Hi Penny, the locomotive originally had a dark green livery. I'm guessing that the loco was painted yellow in the sixties or seventies. They yellow paintwork wasn't all that great with the green showing through a bit in places.

Thanks for sharing as a retired oil worker love to come across old history of the fuel farms this wee shunnter would have moved the rail wagons full of refined products to the sidings for the railway to deliver to the like of preswick airport and the USAF fuel farm at heathfield

[Chico1968]

Thanks MANBEAR,I'm glad you liked this image,here's the second of both images I own,photographed at the Shell refinery in Ardrossan on 30/10/1973.I take it the Heathfield sidings were on the line that passed under the road near the roundabout leading into Prestwick?There is an old remaining railway bridge hidden amongst the trees near the modern housing there.

[MANBEAR]

Thanks MANBEAR,I'm glad you liked this image,here's the second of both images I own,photographed at the Shell refinery in Ardrossan on 30/10/1973.I take it the Heathfield sidings were on the line that passed under the road near the roundabout leading into Prestwick?There is an old remaining railway bridge hidden amongst the trees near the modern housing there. 43708724075_0d41e2377b_z.jpg

Yes the USAF FUEL DUMP WAS CALLED HEATHFIELD AND WAS MOUNDED FUEL TANKS COVERED FROM THE ROAD

[Chico1968]

Interesting,if memory serves me correctly,the line was closed and lifted in the very early eighties.

Thanks MANBEAR,I'm glad you liked this image,here's the second of both images I own,photographed at the Shell refinery in Ardrossan on 30/10/1973.I take it the Heathfield sidings were on the line that passed under the road near the roundabout leading into Prestwick?There is an old remaining railway bridge hidden amongst the trees near the modern housing there. 43708724075_0d41e2377b_z.jpg

Yes the USAF FUEL DUMP WAS CALLED HEATHFIELD AND WAS MOUNDED FUEL TANKS COVERED FROM THE ROAD

[Hughie]

Here's a photo originally posted by Tom McGrattan in our much earlier topic about the Shell Bridge being demolished. I had thought that the engine was diesel.

[Chico1968]

Hi Hughie,the loco was filled with very high pressure steam in the morning which would power it for most of the day.Being fireless,the loco didn't have a firebox or chimney where stray sparks could cause an explosion,making it ideal for working in areas such as refineries or armament factories I'm not sure how this steam was created,but I assume that the Dunaskin Museum have inherited the equipment for this.

Here's a photo originally posted by Tom McGrattan in our much earlier topic about the Shell Bridge being demolished. I had thought that the engine was diesel.

[MANBEAR]

Interesting,if memory serves me correctly,the line was closed and lifted in the very early eighties.

Thanks MANBEAR,I'm glad you liked this image,here's the second of both images I own,photographed at the Shell refinery in Ardrossan on 30/10/1973.I take it the Heathfield sidings were on the line that passed under the road near the roundabout leading into Prestwick?There is an old remaining railway bridge hidden amongst the trees near the modern housing there. 43708724075_0d41e2377b_z.jpg

Yes the USAF FUEL DUMP WAS CALLED HEATHFIELD AND WAS MOUNDED FUEL TANKS COVERED FROM THE ROAD

your correct as I worked for esso at that time and as they were caretakers of the site decommissioned it around 1988

[Chico1968]

There are the remains of an old railway line at the other side of the bypass behind the airport that heads to Annbank.Do you know if this was a continuation of the line here?

Interesting,if memory serves me correctly,the line was closed and lifted in the very early eighties.

Yes the USAF FUEL DUMP WAS CALLED HEATHFIELD AND WAS MOUNDED FUEL TANKS COVERED FROM THE ROAD

your correct as I worked for esso at that time and as they were caretakers of the site decommissioned it around 1988

[Meg]

My dad (who worked in the Ardrossan refinery) called it the ‘pug’ -would it have been built in Kilmarnock by Barclays?