Trust volunteer Andy Harris with Bass No 9 engine
Like so many people Andy Harris has a fascination with steam trains. His passion began when he was a child, seeing the tank engines at the gas works near his home in Aldershot. When he moved to Staffordshire in his retirement, he became friendly with people who volunteered with the trains at the National Brewery Centre and was keen to get involved.
He said: “It’s hard to imagine in the town today but Allsopps, Bass, Marston’s and Worthington’s all had their own individual railway systems in Burton upon Trent, which moved coal, grain, hops, barrels and bottles round the town. At its height there were 32 railway crossings which must have made life tricky for pedestrians!”
Andy began volunteering from May 2021 until the Centre closed in October 2022. He helped keep the brass work polished, the ale dock clean and weed free, as well as talking to visitors about the rolling stock on display.
His real passion is for the rolling stock. Bass No 9 engine is an iconic locomotive designed by Mr Couchman, the engineer at Bass. Built by Neilson Reid & Co. of Glasgow, it was in use until 1964. The Director’s Saloon was built by the Ashbury Railway Carriage Company. Originally built for the Manchester Ship Canal, Bass paid £100 for it, including delivery to Burton. Inside it has very rare linoleum and special wallpaper, making a comfortable environment for Directors to tour the breweries. The brakeman was not so lucky, he had a small outside platform to stand on. The Worthington No 20 is a planet locomotive, originally run on petrol and converted to diesel in the 1950s.
In the 1960s the closure of some breweries and the move to road transport ended the heyday of the brewery trains and the rolling stock is now owned by collections like ours and by heritage railways.
Through his volunteering, Andy learnt about the history and the myths of the rolling stock. He said: “There used to be an interpretation board at the museum that suggested that the Bass No 9 engine and the Director’s Saloon were used for the visit of King Edward VII to the town in February 1902, but we actually now think that instead he travelled in an open top horse drawn carriage.”
Andy is keen that people remember the importance of the trains to the brewery industry. He says: “There’s a danger of this part of the industry being forgotten unless you know where to look.”
The rolling stock in the National Brewery Collection is on loan from Staffordshire County Council and Chasewater Railway. Plans for the future of each item will be developed in consultation with the owners.
