F. C. Hibberd & Co.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Diesel_Shunter%2C_Planet_at_WLLR_-1.jpg/220px-Diesel_Shunter%2C_Planet_at_WLLR_-1.jpg)
F. C. Hibberd & Co Ltd was a British locomotive-building company founded in 1927 to build industrial petrol and diesel locomotives. In 1932 the company acquired the goodwill of James and Frederick Howard Ltd. and the company moved to Park Royal, London, and began manufacturing locomotives there.[1]
Many of Hibberd's locomotives were small machines with final drive by roller chain but it also built some larger ones with side-rod drive. The latter bore a strong resemblance to Hudswell Clarke products.
Hibberd used the name Planet for their locomotives but this should not be confused with the much earlier Planet steam locomotive.
Other companies
From 1956 Thomas Hill (Rotherham) Ltd, THR, sold Hibberd locomotives to non-Hibberd customers on an informal commission basis until 1960. The relationship ended because Hibberd were becoming worried that THR would sell their own locomotives to customers in preference to the Hibberd product.
The company was acquired by Butterley Engineering in the early 1960s and in 1964 production was moved to Ripley, Derbyshire. The last locomotive built to a Hibberd design was delivered in 1968.[1]
History of the Planet name
The origin of the "Planet" petrol locomotive can be traced back to the Kent Construction and Engineering Company of Ashford, Kent.[2] After World War I, Kent Construction purchased a large number of Government-surplus petrol locomotives which they reconditioned and offered for sale. These included both Motor Rail "Simplex" and American Baldwin Locomotive Works products. Kent Construction later produced a range of locomotives to their own designs. These were based on the Motor Rail "Simplex" but were given the name "Planet". They were sold through Honeywill Brothers of London.
Kent Construction closed in 1926 and "Planet" locomotives were then manufactured by Stableford and Company, wagon builders, of Coalville, Leicestershire until they went out of business in 1928. From this time "Planet" locomotives were built by Bedford Engineering, crane makers, of Bedford but they failed in 1932. "Planet" locomotives were then built by Hibberd.
Preservation in the United Kingdom
Sources for this list include the UK Heritage Railways database.[3] All locomotives are standard gauge except where shown in the notes:
Name or number | Industrial owner | Works no. | Build date | Wheels | Power (bhp) |
Preserved at | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Chichester Sewage Works | 1980 | 1936 | 4wDM | Amberley Museum Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge | ||
Crowle Brickworks, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire | 1881 | 1934 | 4wPM | Ford 8HP | Steeple Grange Light Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge | |
Nippy | Mines and Safety Research, Buxton, Derbyshire | 2014 | 1936 | 4wDM | 20HP National Twin-Cylinder | Irish Steam Preservation Society | 3 ft (914 mm) gauge |
Preston Irwell Valley Water Board (ordered by Gravelworks Ltd) | 2025 | 1937 | 4wDM | 12-16 hp Lister CE Twin-Cylinder Diesel | Amerton Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge | |
Ramsey Pier Tramway, Isle of Man | 2027 | 1937 | 4wPM | 4-cylinder Ford (car) petrol engine | Jurby Transport Museum (Manx transport Trust Ltd), Isle of Man | 3 ft (914 mm) gauge | |
Beryl | Bournemouth Gas and Water Co then later by Corralls Ltd, Hamworthy, Poole | 2054 | 1938 | 4wPM | 54 HP, 4-cylinder Dorman 4JORX, petrol-paraffin engine | Swanage Railway, Dorset | |
Berrylands | GLC Berrylands Sewage Works | 2201 | 1939 | 4wDM | 16 hp Lister CE Twin-Cylinder Diesel | Devon Railway Centre | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge |
T1 | Shell-Mex and BP | 2102 | 1938 | 4wDM | 75 | Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | |
Tom Bombadil | Butterley & Blaby Brick Companies | 2415 | 1941 | 4wDM | Leighton Buzzard Light Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge | |
Corbiere | Ministry of Defence depot, Liphook | 2528 | 1941 | 4wDM | National Twin-Cylinder | Old Kiln Light Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge |
Frank | 2896 | 1944 | 4wDM | 35 | Nene Valley Railway | ||
4007 | Canning Town Glass Works | 3147 | 1947 | 4wDM | 52 | Colne Valley Railway | |
Carpenter | Guinness, Park Royal, London | 3270 | 1948 | 0-4-0DM | 144 | Cholsey and Wallingford Railway | |
Ashover | Ashover Light Railway | 3307 | 1948 | 0-4-0DM | Ffestiniog Railway | 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge | |
Ivan | 3317 | 1948 | 0-4-0DM | 4 cylinder Petrol | North Gloucestershire Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge | |
Walrus | Guinness, Park Royal, London | 3271 | 1949 | 0-4-0DM | 144 | Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | |
Dudley | Barking Power, London | 3294 | 1948 | 4wDM | Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills | [4] | |
National Benzole Stanlow refinery | 3438 | 1950 | 4wDM | East Lancashire Railway | |||
23 | Irish Shell | 3509 | 1951 | 4wDM | 79 | Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, Whitehead | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge |
Elizabeth | Hartley Quarry, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria | 3598 | 1962 | 0-4-0DM | N.B. - now carries replacement Leyland Bus engine | Stainmore Railway Company at Kirkby Stephen East | |
Upnor Castle | Chattenden and Upnor Railway | 3687 | 1954 | 4wDM | 180 | WHR (Caernarfon) | 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge |
Rochester Castle | Royal Navy, Chatham | 3738 | 1955 | 4wDM | Chatham Historic Dockyard | [5] | |
Upnor Castle | Royal Navy, Chatham | 3742 | 1955 | 4wDM | |||
Leeds Castle | Royal Navy, Chatham | 3745 | 1955 | 4wDM | |||
Dover Castle | Royal Navy, Chatham | 3770 | 1955 | 4wDM | |||
Cooling Castle | Royal Navy, Chatham | 3771 | 1955 | 4wDM | |||
Deal Castle | Royal Navy, Chatham | 3772 | 1955 | 4wDM | |||
Tarmac | Tarmac, Hayes, Middlesex | 3765 | 1955 | 4wDM | 57 | Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | |
Pluto | Royal Navy, Rosyth | 3777 | 1955/6 | 4wDM | 105 | Derwent Valley Light Railway, York | [6] |
3787 | 1956 | 4wDM | Hampton Kempton Waterworks Railway | 2 ft (610 mm) gauge[7] | |||
Conway Castle | RNAD, Ernesettle, Plymouth | 3831 | 1958 | 4wDM | 180 | WHR (Caernarfon) | 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge |
Previously Kingsley | British Industrial Sand Ltd, Redhill | 3832 | 1957 | 4wDM | 117 | Bideford Railway Heritage Centre | [8] |
ARC Powell Duffryn | 3890 | 1958 | 4wDH | Garw Valley Railway | |||
Planet/Pluto | 3947 | 1960 | 4wDM | 74.5 | Dean Forest Railway | ||
Hylton | 3967 | 1961 | 4wDH | Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust | |||
4006 | 1963 | 4wDH | Garw Valley Railway | ||||
ULLR | Sanders & Forster Ltd | 4008 | 1963 | 4wDM | 9 hp Lister FR1 Diesel | Steeple Grange Light Railway | 18 in (457 mm) gauge[9] |
Preservation in Ireland
"Nippy" a former Mines and Safety Research engine from Buxton, Derbyshire, works number 2014 and built in 1936, is currently preserved at the Stradbally Woodland Express Railway. It is run on occasion for demonstration purposes. Several Guinness brewery Planets have been preserved also, surviving in the Guinness Storehouse museum, The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra Co. Down, and three at the Cavan and Leitrim Railway in Dromod. The former Irish Shell No 23 is preserved at RPSI Whitehead.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/F.C_Hibberd_Planet_Loco%2C_%22Nippy%22.jpg)
Preservation in Italy
Locomotive 3944, built in 1960 is now located as a static 'gate guardian' display at the premises of Vaia Car, Calvisano, in Italy.
Preservation in Australia
Australia
In 1976, The Western Australian Light Railway Preservation Society acquired a 1939 model Planet Locomotive[10] from the Kalgoorlie Lake View and Star Gold mine for a total of $500AU, including spares. After considerable restoration work, the locomotive was moved to Whiteman Park in Perth in 1983 and moved under its own power for the first time in 1985. In recent years, the WA Light Railway Preservation Society bought a 1962 model planet locomotive.[11]
The 1939 Planet (now known as Planet #7) is now the mainstay of the Bennett Brook Railway's Diesel Fleet. The 1962 Planet (now known as Planet #8) is now also operational at BBR. Both locomotives run on 2' gauge track. Over the years, multiple modifications have been made to both of Bennett Brook Railway's Planets, including: The installation of a Vacuum brake system, the addition of a Jones Coupler style coupler along with the already installed Link and Pin couplers and Raising the roof of the cab on Planet #7, and a new cab design and paint scheme to reflect its operating heritage on Planet #8.
Another preserved Planet locomotive is #54 at the Richmond Vale railway line, New South Wales.
New Zealand
Two Planet locomotives from the Grassmere Salt Works are preserved at the Ferrymead Two Foot Railway in New Zealand. Another is preserved at a pioneer village in Kaikohe. One is preserved at Pukemiro
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b "Buckinghamshire Railway Centre history of F. C. Hibberd & Co. Ltd".
- ^ "Planet" Locomotives
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 May 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Pluto 0-4-0DM". Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ James, Jonathan (May 2021). Narrow Gauge Railways London and South East England. Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2] Hibberd 4008
- ^ "Planet #1". Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Planet #2". Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2010.