The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, Bristol, as Fox, Walker and Company, building four and six-coupled saddle tank engines for industrial use. They also built stationary engines and pioneered steam tramcars, the first being tested in Bristol in 1877.
They were taken over by Thomas Peckett in 1880, becoming Peckett and Sons, Atlas Engine Works, Bristol. The company acquired limited liability some years later. By 1900 the two companies had built over 400 locomotives.
The company continued producing a variety of small industrial and shunting engines at their factory located between Fishponds and Kingswood in Bristol. They became specialists in the field, with very precise specifications and standardisation of parts. The largest engine was an 0-8-0 built in 1931 for the Christmas Island Phosphate Company.
The works were served by a branch line starting just south west of Kingswood junction on the Midland line and ran for about one mile.
During the two World Wars, the works were especially busy, but by 1950 trade had largely dried up. By 1954 the company was being run by two sons (Frank and Wilfred Peckett) of Frank Peckett following his retirement. Frank Peckett did not favour building diesel locomotives, even when most of the other firms were turning their attention to this market in the 1930’s, and the “steam only” tradition was maintained until his retirement in March 1954. Then the firm publicly announced in the Bristol evening newspaper that they were to enter the diesel shunter market because of the trends then prevailing in the locomotive trade. Wilfred Peckett had also been reluctant to build diesels, but by 1954 orders for steam engines were beginning to thin out and the change was one of economic necessity.
The last steam engine was produced in 1958 and the company was taken over by Reed Crane & Hoist Co Ltd on 23 October 1961, which itself later went into liquidation.
Preserved Industrial Locomotives
I have only included standard gauge locomotives which are preserved in Britain.
For details of preserved fireless locomotives built by Peckett go to Fireless Locomotives.
Locomotive classes preserved
| Class | Introduced | Type | Cyls | Wheels | W/Base |
| B2 | 1905 | 0-6-0ST | 14×20 | 3′ 7″ | 10′ 0″ |
| B3 | 1933 | 0-6-0ST | 14×22 | 3′ 7″ | 10′ 0″ |
| E | 1903 | 0-4-0ST | 15×21 | 3′ 7″ | 6′ 6″ |
| M5 | 1905 | 0-4-0ST | 10×15 | 2′ 9″ | 5′ 0″ |
| OQ | 1951 | 0-6-0ST | 18×26 | 4′ 0½” | |
| OX1 | 1932 | 0-6-0ST | 16×24 | 3′ 10″ | 11′ 0″ |
| OX4 | 1954 | 0-6-0ST | 16×24 | 3′ 10″ | 11′ 0″ |
| OY | 1912 | 0-4-0ST | 16×24 | 3′ 10″ | 7′ 0″ |
| R1 | 1890 | 0-4-0ST | 12×18 | 3′ 0½” | 5′ 6″ |
| R2 | 1910 | 0-4-0ST | 12×18 | 3′ 0½” | 5′ 6″ |
| R3 | 1929 | 0-4-0ST | 12×20 | 3′ 0½” | 5′ 6″ |
| R4 | 1930 | 0-4-0ST | 12×20 | 3′ 0½” | 5′ 6″ |
| W4 | 1885 | 0-4-0ST | 14×20 | 3′ 2½” | 5′ 6″ |
| W5 | 1906 | 0-4-0ST | 14×20 | 3′ 2½” | 5′ 6″ |
| W6 | 1926 | 0-4-0ST | 14×22 | 3′ 2½” | 5′ 6″ |
| W7 | 1938 | 0-4-0ST | 14×22 | 3′ 2½” | 5′ 6″ |
| X2 | 1907 | 0-6-0ST | 16×22 | 3′ 10″ | 11′ 9″ |
Preserved Locomotives
|
Works No |
Class |
Built |
Name |
Type |
Location |
|
W4 |
1896 |
The Bear |
0-4-0ST |
Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway |
|
|
W4 |
1899 |
Daphne |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
R1 |
1902 |
917 |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
W4 |
1903 |
Henry Cort |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
R1 |
1908 |
Annie |
0-4-0ST |
Buckimghamshire Railway Centre |
|
|
M5 |
1908 |
Whitehead |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
R2 |
1912 |
Uppingham |
0-4-0ST |
Rocks by Rail |
|
|
1914 |
MN Co No 1 |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
E |
1914 |
Lion |
0-4-0ST |
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway |
|
|
R2 |
1915 |
0-6-0ST | Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | ||
|
1915 |
BAC No 1 |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
B2 |
1914 |
Westminster |
0-6-0ST |
||
|
B2 |
1916 |
0-6-0ST |
Swansea Museum’s Llandore Collections Centre |
||
|
1916 |
Adam |
0-4-0ST |
Cambrian Heritage Railway |
||
|
W5 |
1916 |
1151 |
0-4-0ST |
Appleby Frodingham Railway |
|
|
1919 |
Falmouth Docks & Engineering Company No 6 |
0-4-0ST |
Poldark Mine |
||
|
1919 |
Victory |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
M5 |
1920 |
0-4-0ST |
Private site at Congleton, Cheshire |
||
|
X2 |
1920 |
Ackton Hall No 3 |
0-6-0ST |
||
|
M5 |
1921 |
Pectin BAC No 2 |
0-4-0ST |
Yeovil Railway Centre |
|
|
W5 |
1923 |
0-4-0ST |
Beal Station, Northumberland |
||
|
1287 |
1923 |
No 12 Marcia |
0-4-0T |
||
|
B2 |
1924 |
Fonmon |
0-6-0ST |
||
|
R2 |
1926 |
Lady Angela |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
W6 |
1926 |
Rocket |
0-4-0ST |
Telford Steam Railway |
|
|
1928 |
0-4-0ST |
Titley Junction station – private |
|||
|
1928 |
No 2 Fulstow |
0-4-0ST |
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway |
||
|
R2 |
1928 |
Hornpipe |
0-4-0ST |
Private site |
|
|
R2 |
1928 |
Elizabeth |
0-4-0ST |
Rocks by Rail |
|
|
R3 |
1929 |
Kilmersdon |
0-4-0ST |
West Somerset Railway – Washford |
|
|
W6 |
1933 |
Ironbridge No 1 |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
OX1 |
1932 |
Sir Gomer |
0-6-0ST |
Battlefield Line Railway |
|
|
B3 |
1934 |
Menelaus |
0-6-0ST |
||
|
W6 |
1936 |
Ironbridge No 2 |
0-4-0ST |
Great Western Railway Museum |
|
|
1936 |
0-4-0T |
||||
|
M5 |
1936 |
0-4-0ST |
Chatham Historic Dockyard |
||
|
OY |
1937 |
Caliban |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
W6-S |
1937 |
Hornet |
0-4-0ST |
Ribble Steam Railway | |
|
FA |
1937 |
Henbury |
0-6-0ST |
Bristol Harbour Railway/M Shed |
|
|
M5 |
1938 |
Hilda |
0-4-0ST |
Bere Ferrers, Devon |
|
|
W6-S |
1939 |
Merlin (Myrddin) |
Aln Valley Railway | ||
|
W6 |
1939 |
Jacky Milburn |
0-6-0ST |
North Tynside Steam Railway |
|
|
W6 |
1939 |
John |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
W6 |
1940 |
Ironbridge No 3 |
0-4-0ST |
Telford Steam Railway |
|
|
1941 |
0-4-0ST |
||||
|
B3 |
1942 |
0-6-0ST |
Helston Railway |
||
|
W7 |
1941 |
John Blenkinsop |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
W7 |
1941 |
GEC No 6 No 1 |
0-4-0ST |
Tyseley |
|
|
1941 |
V47 |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
1942 |
BNFL No 1 Irlam |
0-4-0ST |
Irlam Station |
||
|
M5 |
1942 |
Ashley |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
M5 |
1943 |
Jeffery |
0-4-0ST |
East Anglia Railway Museum |
|
|
OY-S |
1947 |
Nechells Gas Works No 11 |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
OY1-S |
1948 |
F C Tingey |
0-4-0ST |
Stainmore Railway Company |
|
|
OY-1 |
1948 |
Achillies |
0-4-0ST |
Mangapps Railway Museum |
|
|
R4 |
1949 |
2 William Murdoch |
0-4-0ST |
Helston Railway |
|
|
R4-S |
1948 |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
R4-S |
1948 |
0-4-0ST |
Northampton & Lamport Railway |
||
|
R4-S |
1948 |
Rockeby |
0-4-0ST |
||
|
W7 |
1950 |
Wellbeck No 6 |
0-4-0ST |
Royal Deeside Railway |
|
|
1949 |
1 Lytham St Annes |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
B3 |
1951 |
0-6-0ST |
Kidwelly Industrial Museum |
||
|
W7 |
1951 |
2 |
0-4-0ST |
Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway |
|
|
W7 |
1951 |
Oliver Velton |
0-4-0ST |
Cambrian Heritage Railway |
|
|
W6 |
1953 |
Northern Gas Board No 1 |
0-4-0ST |
Darlington Railway Preservation Society, Darlington |
|
|
1952 |
Uskmouth 1 |
0-4-0ST |
|||
|
OQ |
1954 |
Mardy Monster |
0-6-0ST |
Private location |
|
|
OX4 |
1954 |
Birchenwood No 5 |
0-6-0ST |
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 