Joseph Williamson was affectionately known by many as the “King of Edge Hill”, due to his keeping so many people in employment, enabling his workers to feed their families during hard times.
Over a century after Joseph Williamson’s death, Liverpool’s Rail network had rapidly grown in both importance and size. The extent of Liverpool’s complex Rail network can be seen on this official 1959 British Railway’s rail plan of Edge Hill. The original plan being approximately 6ft wide, which made scanning on an A4 scanner quite a task. Click image to view full size.
What has all this got to do with Joseph Williamson I hear you ask?
Well, one of the many Steam Locomotives allocated to Edge Hill Steam Shed (8A), was LMS locomotive No.47406, a Fowler Class 3F, also known as a Jinty. This small 0-6-0 locomotive, was originally built in 1926 at Vulcan Works, Newton-le-Willows. The loco spent it’s last 2 working years in Edge Hill and the local Liverpool area, between 1965 and 1966. It was during this time that railway workers at Edge Hill, decided to name locomotive No.47406, the “King of Edge Hill”, after our very own Joseph Williamson of Mason Street. As the “King of Edge Hill” was not officially named by British Railway’s, the name was simply hand written on the side of the locomotive, instead of the usual metal name plate that would normally be fitted.
47406 “King of Edge Hill”, with hand written name visible on the side of the loco. (© A Murray-Rust).
The “King of Edge Hill” waiting for duty outside Speke Shed. (© K Jones).
The “King of Edge Hill” in Barry scrap yard, awaiting her fate. (© D Sallery).
The Liverpool Echo, 22nd September 1971. “End of the line for a Liverpool Jintie”. Liverpool’s King of Edge Hill. Courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive
In December 1966, The King of Edge Hill, was withdrawn from service and sent to the locomotive grave yard in Barry, South Wales to be scrapped. 47406 spent 17 years rusting away, awaiting her final fate of the blow torch. When finaly, in 1983 she was rescued from the scrap heap to be restored. On the 30th January 2010, her restoration had been completed, so 47406 returned to regular use in preservation, with the Great Central Railway. She is currently temporarily withdrawn once again for a maintenance overhaul.
It would be wonderful if the Great Central Railway would be willing to reinstate the unofficial name of the “King of Edge Hill” given by the Staff at Edge Hill all those years ago, completing the History of this near 100 year old locomotive and it’s connection to Edge Hill, Joseph Williamson and his Underground world.