In its short life, the Midland Counties Railway bought nearly fifty steam locomotives from a number of manufacturers. Initially, outside-cylindered engines were ordered because of the frequency of crank axle breakage with inside cylinders. However, one of the sub-committee delegated to order the motive power, Theodore Rathbone, was an admirer of the Bury engines used on the London and Birmingham Railway, and all further orders were for inside-cylindered locos. The initial delivery of engines had 11-inch cylinders, but after being found to be short of power, further orders were for engines with 13-inch cylinders.
Builders
Butterley Company Butterley Company, Derbyshire 1. Ariel 2-2-2 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 11x16 (outside) (renamed Bee in 1841) 2. Hercules 2-2-2 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 (outside)
Ariel hauled one of the inaugural trains from Nottingham to Derby, following Sunbeam. Nevertheless, the Butterley locos would not appear to have been satisfactory, since the railway refused to pay for them until the end of 1841.
Jones, Turner and Evans Jones, Turner and Evans, Newton-le-Willows 4. Sunbeam 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 5. Wizard 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 6. Hecate 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Four coupled: 46. Fox 0-4-2 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x20 47. Rob Roy 0-4-2 (? 2-2-2) 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Stark and Fulton Stark and Fulton, Glasgow 3. Hawk 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 9. Vulture 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 10. Eagle 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Edward Bury and Company Edward Bury and Company, Liverpool 7. Lion 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 8. Tiger 2-2-0 built 1839 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 11. Leopard 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 12. Panther 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 13. Reindeer ' 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 14. Antelope 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 15. Unicorn 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 Leopard hauled the inaugural train from Nottingham to Leicester
16. Cerberus 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 17. Caliban 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 18. Basilisk 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 19. Phantom 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 35. Vizier 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 36. Vandal 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 37. Siren 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 38. Sultan 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Four Coupled 42. Buffalo 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 43. Bloodhound 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 44. Mastiff 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 45. Mammoth 0-4-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company, Patricroft 20. Lightning 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 21. Lucifer 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 22. Hurricane 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 23. Firebrand 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 24. Rainbow 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 25. Sirocco 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 39. Wolf 2-2-2 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 14x18 (presumably bought as a freight engine)
William Fairbairn & Sons William Fairbairn & Sons, Liverpool 40. Harlequin 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 (renamed Shark in 1842/3) 41. Ganymede 0-4-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'0" diameter, Cylinders 12x18
Benjamin Hick and Sons Benjamin Hick and Sons, Bolton 26. Dragon 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 27. Scorpion 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 28. Hornet 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 29. Wivern 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 30. Vampire 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 31. Lynx 2-2-0 built 1840 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 12x18 32. Centaur 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 33. Hydra 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18 34. Harpy 2-2-0 built 1841 Driving wheels 5'6" diameter, Cylinders 13x18
Contractors locomotives Vivid, which opened the line from Leicester to Rugby, was a contractor's locomotive.
References
The Nottingham and Derby Railway Companion, (1839) Republished 1979 with Foreword by J.B.Radford, Derbyshire Record Society