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Description
In 1903, the Midland Steel Company was formed. The owner had bought land not too far from the Furness Railway mainline, as a way of connecting his steelworks to the cities. However, he needed a locomotive to shunt trucks around the premises. Therefore, he and his employees designed and built an 0-4-0T traction engine. It was designed to have plenty of pulling power, as it was to be moving heavy loads of steel around the mill. Christened "Theo" by the owner, the little engine proved to be very useful. Although, it wouldn't be for long.

In the coming years, Theo turned out to be underpowered, as the loads of steel continued to increase in size and weight. On top of that, the large and light gears and flywheel could not handle the strain that the heavy work put on them. As a result, they continuously fell off. Eventually, the owner gave up on the traction engine, and sidelined it from service in early 1906. One month later, the owner had purchased a new engine from the Great Eastern Railway. It was an 0-10-0T, designed by James Holden and built at Stratford Works. The GER had been looking for a new owner for the engine after testing proved it to be unnecessary and overpowered, and so, it was moved to the MSC, and given an overhaul. A part of this overhaul, came the inclusion of the Heywood Axle System. The engine's 2 rear wheels were on a swiveling chassis, in order to negotiate the tight curves of the steelworks complex. The engine was also named "Hurricane", as it had been known to accelerate a train of 18 trucks in extremely windy weather. With Hurricane taking over the work, there was no need for Theo. The owner's locomotive that he built himself was no longer needed, or wanted.

"He got rid of you for reason, you know that? Because you couldn't hack it. You couldn't handle the tasks that were at hand. And now look at you. Sidelined from service, the owner's own pride and joy. Looks like he bit off more than he could chew when he built you. Face it, Theo. You're a failure."

Description
In 1903, the Midland Steel Company was formed. The owner had bought land not too far from the Furness Railway mainline, as a way of connecting his steelworks to the cities. However, he needed a locomotive to shunt trucks around the premises. Therefore, he and his employees designed and built an 0-4-0T traction engine. It was designed to have plenty of pulling power, as it was to be moving heavy loads of steel around the mill. Christened "Theo" by the owner, the little engine proved to be very useful. Although, it wouldn't be for long.

In the coming years, Theo turned out to be underpowered, as the loads of steel continued to increase in size and weight. On top of that, the large and light gears and flywheel could not handle the strain that the heavy work put on them. As a result, they continuously fell off. Eventually, the owner gave up on the traction engine, and sidelined it from service in early 1906. One month later, the owner had purchased a new engine from the Great Eastern Railway. It was an 0-10-0T, designed by James Holden and built at Stratford Works. The GER had been looking for a new owner for the engine after testing proved it to be unnecessary and overpowered, and so, it was moved to the MSC, and given an overhaul. A part of this overhaul, came the inclusion of the Heywood Axle System. The engine's 2 rear wheels were on a swiveling chassis, in order to negotiate the tight curves of the steelworks complex. The engine was also named "Hurricane", as it had been known to accelerate a train of 18 trucks in extremely windy weather. With Hurricane taking over the work, there was no need for Theo. The owner's locomotive that he built himself was no longer needed, or wanted.

"He got rid of you for reason, you know that? Because you couldn't hack it. You couldn't handle the tasks that were at hand. And now look at you. Sidelined from service, the owner's own pride and joy. Looks like he bit off more than he could chew when he built you. Face it, Theo. You're a failure."