The Hercules Firefly
About the ‘Hercules’ Firefly, a postwar special request from the RH&DR for a scaled up Firefly
Ian Bradley contributed to Model Engineer magazine into his nineties. (Read about him before continuing.) Model Engineer published an article by Bradley on 4 January 1991 (Issue 3888) entitled Swords Into… about what was essentially the “last” Firefly produced by [the company formerly known as] Arthur Lyon & Co.
Ian Bradley explained that the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway contacted N.C.K. Products Ltd., where he was Works Manager, for a solution to the problem of spotting stray cattle on the tracks at dusk in time to prevent a collision. (After the war, Arthur Lyon & Co. was sold, and at the time of RH&DR’s enquiry – late 1940s to early 1950s – Bradley recalled the company went by that name.)
The railway was looking for a steam-driven generator that would power a headlight for the locomotive Hercules. The steam would be supplied by the locomotive boiler.
Hercules Locomotive in 2020 (Photo from RH&DR Facebook Page)
Bradley wrote that the company he worked for produced “a great number of simple steam generating sets for use in the field during the war, and it was an enlarged version of this that was proposed for use by the R.H.&D.R.”
One such generator set was made and installed on Hercules, and it charged a nickel-iron battery, which in turn powered a Bosch P1000 headlamp.
Where the Hercules Firefly was located (Photo from RH&DR Facebook Page)
Where the Hercules Firefly was located (Photo from RH&DR Hercules Page)
Ian Bradley concluded his reminiscence with, “How long the equipment was used I have no idea, nor indeed, do I know if it still exists. Perhaps someone can tell us.”
Thirty-three years after his article was published, I can respond to his latter question. Yes, it still exists!
Before encountering the Swords Into… article, I found a steam-powered generator set for sale online by Preston Services, located just 17 miles from the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. The item was titled STUART ‘SIRIUS’ GENERATOR SET. A clue to its significance that kept the item fresh in my mind is the brass oil filler tube and cap. Those parts appeared (and in fact are) identical to the parts used on the wartime Alco Firefly. (Perhaps Ian had some spare parts hanging around in a drawer for about five years!)
Once I saw Model Engineer article and made the connection, acquiring the “Hercules Firefly” became my top collecting goal. It took some patience and persistence, but the supersized final Firefly arrived on 3 November 2023. Some parts have been lost to time, and the machine needs a good cleaning and going over, but mechanically it is in good condition. It deserves a proper restoration and will get one eventually.
Catalogue Photo
Hercules Firefly from Preston Services
One final note: during World War II, the RH&DR was commandeered by the British army and Hercules was selected for service and armored. The Hercules locomotive and Alco Firefly steam generator share an interleaving history of war and peace.
Armored Hercules Train (From Wikipedia)
After the war ended, the armor was removed from Hercules and the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway resumed normal services. Once the Nazis were defeated, attention turned to the next greatest threat to the railway – cows.