Gorton Tank ..... another story from Tony Goulding

All F.M. 96.9 the local radio station and “The Real Voice of Manchester” is running a project exploring the history of this important feature of our industrial heritage. 

As I have a couple of friends who already contribute shows to the station, I decided to research its early years.

 Gorton Locomotive Works, 1926

This works in Gorton first opened in 1848 to build Locomotives for the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Manchester Railway, shortly to become the expanded Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway (1) and later, in 1897, 

The Grand Central Railway. 

Later the major reorganization of the rail network in 1923 saw the works being managed by the London and North-Eastern Railway (The L.N.E.R.) before becoming part of the nationalised British Rail on 1st January 1948. 

In its early history locomotives, such as this one built in 1905, were constructed on the site to run on the various rail tracks of the parent company, however after 1923 most new builds took place at the larger works in Doncaster; Gorton being used for repairs and refurbishment. 

It also later became a centre for the scrapping of steam locomotives as British Rail switched to Diesel / Electric operations.

GCR Class 9K (LNER Class C13) 4-4-2T 67433 

How it became known locally as “Gorton Tank” is open to question though one certainty is that it has no connection with the weapon of war, as the first use of the nickname predates, by more than 60 years, the introduction of “Tanks” on the Western Front in September 1916. 

The first record I have found of its use was in “The Ashton Reporter” of 1st August 1857 which describes a performance by The Gorton Tank Brass Band in the town’s recreation grounds the Tuesday prior 28th July.

 As can be ascertained from the above aerial photograph of the works, in the summer of 1926 it was a huge complex (estimated by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers to cover 46 acres during a visit to the site in 1929) and was a very significant employer in the area. 

This can be evidenced by the reports of the number of workers addressed on the site by the Rt. Rev. James Fraser, the reforming Bishop of Manchester. The Manchester Courier, and Lancashire General Advertiser reported the “congregation” on 10th July 1874 to be around 1,000. Seven years later the number addressed by the bishop on 25th August 1881 was estimated by The Manchester Evening News to be “--- some 1,500 of the men and youths employed ---” (2). 

There existed safety rules which were rigorously enforced with newspaper records revealing that workers were dismissed for not following them. (3) Despite this the works were a very dangerous environment. In a 25-year period spanning the end of Queen Victoria’s reign and the start of Edward VII’s there was a fatal or very serious accident virtually every year.

 As was universally the case with employers throughout the land, the First World War took a heavy toll among the “Tank’s” workforce. The “Fallen Railwaymen” database of The National Railway Museum, York records 115 hits to the search C.M.E. Gorton; the vast majority of these would have worked at the tank.

Works Plate from a G.C.R. Class 11F Locomotive

Curiously, although known for more than a century as “Gorton Tank” it is in fact located in Openshaw.

Notes: -

1) Hyde Road, the first permanent home ground of Ardwick F.C., the club which became Manchester City, was built on waste ground purchased from this Railway Company.

2) By 1907 the workforce had grown to 5,000 employees. This being the figure quoted in a report of a court case concerning the theft of copper and brass from the works; The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser of 10th May 1907.

3) In a sensational case, widely reported in the press, 65 workers were discharged on Saturday 14th August 1858. Unfortunately, no reason for their dismissal is given.

Pictures: - Aerial view of Gorton Tank (09/06/1926) by Imperial Aerial Photo Company. m67717  Courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information, and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

1905 Locomotive 67433  prior to scrapping 8th November 1958; by Ruth AS CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5580155

Great Central Railway construction plate 1920 by Duncan Harris CC BY-SA 2.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85706220 

https://www.flickr.com/people/45874718@N00 

Acknowledgements: - Find My Past Newspaper Archive and National Railway Museum “Fallen Railwaymen”.