Today the 2 oclock shot is of the sculpture on the roundabout @ Tesco middlebrook,Horwich of the famous Aspinall Radial Tank loco, number 1008, built in 1888, the first locomotive engine to be built at the Horwich Loco Works. It was designed by John Audley Frederick Aspinall, and apart from the wheel and tyres (which came from Germany) all the parts were made at Horwich. It rolled out of the works on February 20, 1889 and went into service in Southport. It also worked the Midland services in 1926 and finally ended its duty days on September 18,1954.
London artist Tom Wilkinson won a design competition to create the £25,000 work of art after being inspired by local writer Malcolm Smith’s excellent book on the Horwich Loco Works.
Horwich WAS the Loco Works for many years, until it finally closed in 1983. There is a legacy of buildings, land and a fine tradition linked to rolling stock in the heyday of the train.
Posted on July 14th, 2008 by
Filed under: Daily Photography
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