Engine Search Help Page

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

  1. How do I use the search?
    This is a very powerful search tool. The drop down boxes enable you to select various fields in which to search. If you want to search for Austerity locos change one of the boxes on the top line to 'Class', type 'Austerity' in the next box and press search. You could refine the search by using AND in the middle box, selecting 'Builder' in the next drop down box, perhaps type 'hc' in the next box. This will then display Hudswell Clarke built Austerity 0-6-0ST locos.
  2. I can't find any engines by a particular builder.
    The names changed about a bit and to make it simpler to search we've used a series of abbreviations commonly used to refer to the local engine making firms, these can be found here in the column on the left hand side. If you can't find the maker on the list try changing the options at the top to display the type of items that company made.
  3. Can I display the results in year or works number order?
    Yes, on the second line the box on the left says Sort by... select one of the options from the drop down list
  4. I'm looking for a Fowler traction engine but keep getting pages of locomotives.
    On the second box on the second line you can select Road Only from the drop down list if you only want to view road items.
  5. I'm looking for a loco built to a Kerr Stuart design. I know Hunslet built a number of Kerr Stuart designed locos so I was wondering if it was listed here?
    We have gone through lists of companies absorbed by Leeds firms. On the second box on the second line select 'Any item' instead of 'Any Leeds built item' and it should show up weather it was built in Leeds or at Kerr Stuart's works in Stoke on Trent before Hunslet took them over.
  6. Why can't I find a specific loco that I know details of in the list?
    It is possible that we have not yet entered the details for this loco. It's a vast project and we also have to earn a living.
  7. The details recorded are wrong.
    If you are aware of any changes please advise us via the contacts page. Some locos may have changed location/name such as MW (1601/1903) which at Middleton Railway is still often referred to as Arthur but is now named "Mathew Murray"! Also most of the original lists from which we have compiled the database were hand written and aren't the easiest to work from, there will be some entries we've misread from particually bad writing.
  8. Can I search by location?
    To search for items at a location change the one of the boxes on the top line to 'Notes' and then type in a location into the next box.
  9. How do I search by company name?
    Company names are also recorded under 'Notes' so change the one of the boxes on the top line to 'Notes' and then type in a company name into the next box.
  10. I can't find the company name I'm looking for.
    Company names are often written or typed in different ways and particularly with names used regularly they would have got abbreviated. Common examples are Railway abbreviated to Rly and William abbreviated to Wm. Try using obvious abbreviations or breaking the name up and searching for one key word in the name you are looking for.
  11. I'm searching for a loco I know was built in a particular year but can't find it.
    Sometimes the order books will show the year an engine was completed, sometime the year it was ordered. Occasionally years haven't been shown at all and we've had to fill this in from order numbers either side. Try a year before or after and hopefully it will show up.
  12. I'm not quite sure what year an engine was built.
    If you select 'Year built' from one of the boxes on the top line and enter 191 for instance it will bring up anything with the numbers 191 together in Year built, i.e. anything from 1910 to 1919. It would also bring up any locos from 1191 but there weren't any and if there are any locos built here in 2191 we'll be long gone so we haven't really worried about that too much. It's a very useful hint for searching a decade at a time by typing the first three digits of the year though.
  13. I still haven't found what I'm looking for.
    If that's a request for the song look up 'U2' on the Spotify music steaming website. If you've got really stuck looking for a Leeds built engine contact us it could well be that your request helps us identify an engine or otherwise put right an incorrect detail on our lists
  14. Country
    Note that for many items we have them listed by the country name that was correct at the time of delivery. Many of these have changed over the years due to wars and becoming independant. Click here for alphabetical listing by country. The country list can be filtered by region or first initial of the name.

Links to frequent searches