Home Page → Engines → Burrell → Road Locomotive → 3455 → History
Burrell 3455 "Semper Fidelis" was built in 1913 as a 6NHP Road Locomotive. The engine was one of thirty road engines produced between 1904 and 1914 during a time when the Thetford company was increasingly introducing a level of standardisation to it's product line, 11 of these 30 engines were subsequently sold to showman and converted to Showmans Road Locomotives but this engine stayed as a road locomotive.
3455 had a working pressure of 200 psi, 30 2" diameter, 5' 8" tubes where used within the boiler, a shorter smoke box than standard was used and the engine was fitted with 6"x10"x10" cylinders. Unusually the engine was fitted with slightly smaller rear wheels than standard, sometimes called powerful wheels, these were of 6' diameter, the same as those fitted to Burrell 3489, the two engines are very similar. The front wheels are 3' 8" diameter and the flywheel diameter is 4' diameter and 6" wide, Pickering governors were also fitted. An unusual feature of the engine is that it is fitted with a smaller belly tanks than standard, this is presumably to allow to be used for belt work more easily. As expected for a Burrell Road Locomotive the engine is fitted with 3 speeds and is sprung on the front and rear and is direct drive. The engine was painted in standard Burrell Crimson Lake with red wheels and left Thetford on the 20 March 1913.
| Owner | Area | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| R. & T. Pidsley | Clyst St George, Devon | Purchased new by this company for haulage. |
| J Hancock & Sons | Exeter | Brick and tar makers, used the engine for haulage. |
| Arlington Court Saw Mill | Arlington Court | Used briefly at a sawmill, listed in early preservation reports has residing here. |
| Joe Warren | Redruth | Saved the engine for preservation, owning the engine briefly. |
| Len Hoskins | Sennen | Owned and rallied the engine for a couple of years. |
| John Gundry | Broadhembury, Cullompton | Took the engine to one event before storing in a barn at his home for 50 years. |
| Alfie Cheyne | Aberdeen | Completing full restoration hoped to be completed in time for the engine's 100 birthday. |
3455 was built for the West Country firm of R.& T. Pidsley, Clyst St George, Topsham in Devon, later the engine was sold to the nearby firm of Exeter Brick and Tar Manufacturers, (J Hancock & Son) where it worked with Burrell 3395 then called "City of Exeter". It is then thought the engine worked at a saw mill at Arlington Court, in some early preservation listings of engines the engine is listed as being at this location.
3455 then passed into preservation in the ownership of Joe Warren of Redruth. The engine was driven into Cornwall to by Len Hoskins. Following the 1958 West of England rally Mr Hoskins purchased the engine.
In 1961 ownership passed to John Gundry of Broadhembury nr Cullompton in Devon. The engine was only taken to one rally in Mr Gundry's ownership, the 1961 Taunton Rally which took place near Honiton. The engine was then placed in a barn at Mr Gundry's farm and it did not see the light of day again for almost 50 years. Very few people saw the engine whilst it was in storage and it was so surrounded by other items photographing it was impossible.
The sale of 3455 was announced in late 2010 following Mr Gundry's death. His two engines, 3455 and Aveling 10388 were sold in the farm yard close to the barn where they had both stood for nearly 50 years.
3455 was sold in the ex-barn condition that was was to be expected, most of the engine was complete but it was obvious that major work would be needed before it would steam again. Missing were the works and name plates but these were thought to be somewhere in Mr Gundry's former home. The engine was fitted with The Burrell Compound Engine smokebox door ring. This was more usually fitted to Single Crank Compound Burrell engines and, the normal door ring for road engines such as this is The Burrell Road Locomotive. It is though that this ring was originally fitted to Burrell Road Locomotive 3755, "Westward Ho!" and was that it was swapped when Mr Hoskins owned both engines. The right side of the ring had also been cut away close to where it meets the hinge but it is not obvious why. Also swapped off the engine are the original brass hubcaps which now reside on Burrell 3755, Mr Gundry had a set of brass hubcaps made and these were fitted to the engine on the day of the sale, the steel hubcaps originally fitted to 3755 were also included in the sale.
There was much anticipation prior to the sale as this was without doubt one of the most desirable engines to be sold at auction in the past few years. After some ferocious bidding by a number of well know names of the steam world 3455 was purchased by Mr Alfie Cheyne of Abeerdeen who told me that he had been taken to see another Burrell Road Locomotive as a child, 3937, and had always hoped to own a simpler example. Follow the fall of the hammer Mr Cheyne told the assembled crowds that the engine would remain as a road engine and not converted to a showmans engine as some had speculated. The engine is to be restored and hopefully will be seen on the rally fields again soon.