this design of loco was built as a replacement for the ”20/28 type” (see fleet no.3 & 7) when the 20HP engine stopped being produced by Dorman. Because more and more of motor rail’s loco’s were being exported, these locos were designed with a shorter frame than the ”20/28”, so locos could be loaded sideways into shipping containers. It will also be noted that this loco has a fully welded frame, whereas earlier Motor Rails use partially riveted frames.
This loco was new in august 1959, being delivered to the London Brick Company’s Warboys works, near Ramsey in Cambridgeshire. It was employed on a railway conveying clay from a pit to the works. The individual clay pits were locally known as ”knotholes”, hence the name. The derivation of knots is rather obscure. One suggestion is that it is the name given to the harder clay found below the top callow, which is very hard to dig compared to the softer top 10-15 feet. A second version holds that the harder clay is likened to the knots in wood – which are harder than the surrounding wood.
The loco was preserved by the MRT, moving to the Cheadle site on 29/5/1985 and to Apedale on 28/6/2008
During 2019 the radiator, which had been poorly repaired in industry, was rebuilt and some original style lights were replicated.
Moseley Railway Trust Fleet List 