Peel Godred Aluminium Works

**The Peel Godred Aluminium Works** was a company which was located a mile north of Peel Godred and run by the notorious Jacob Hockings. The present day site is home to the Waste Dump where Whiff and Scruff work.

## History

The Peel Godred Power Company, a subsidiary of the British Aluminium Company, was formed to build a dam and hydro-electric power station utilising the waters of the three lakes, Corloey, Dubbyn Moar and Loey Machan. A standard gauge railway was needed to transport their bulky equipment, so the company negotiated with the North Western Railway to build a branch line from Killdane to Peel Godred, for which the company paid half the costs and supplies the current for its fleet of electric locomotives. The Power Company initially considered using the Mid Sodor Railway, and while port facilities at Arlesburgh were adequate, the slim clearances on the Mountain Road proved an insuperable obstacle.

Afterwards, the Sodor Aluminium Company was formed to own and operate the Power Company, and also the Aluminium Works that was being built at Peel Godred. Alumina was brought from Tidmouth to here, where it was processed into ingots before being sent to the Mainland via Barrow-in-Furness.  The company was run by Doug Hockings who was kind but strict and he owned two engines named Bertram and Freddie and a stationary crane called Colin. When Hockings retired, his son, Jacob Hockings took over and proved to be the exact opposite as he was abusive and toxic, due to the trio's horror. In 1974, the company bought Falcon and Stuart from the closed Mid Sodor Railway to assist in an expansion project at the Aluminium Works. The two engines ended up loosing their nameplates due to poor maintenance of the tracks and Hockings not only refused to give them new ones but he had repainted grey.

In 1979, Bertram was making a delivery for Stevie when he found himself being diverted the wrong way and derailed at the bottom of the hill. Stuart arrived with the breakdown train to rescue him. Unfortunately, Hockings was angry for Stuart for being late and decided to scrap him but Bertram defended him and made it quite clear to Hockings that if he dare hurt Stuart, he was going to have answer in Bertram, in life or in death. Despite Stuart's protest, Bertram held his gaze and Hockings accepted the challenge. Bertram instructed to Freddie to look after Falcon and Stuart for him and told the other engines to leave. Freddie, Falcon and Stuart didn't need telling twice and quickly left whilst Bertram bravely accepted his fate. With that, Hockings scrapped him alive.

In 1980, Freddie was destroyed in an accident which was staged by Hockings. Then in 1982, Colin was destroyed in a storm due to neglect and Stevie decided to report Hockings to the police. Unfortunately, Hockings was nearby and gave Stevie a forced Final Firing whilst the Peel Godred engines were asleep. In the aftermath, Hockings was arrested and it was discovered that Hockings had embezzled the money his father had sent him for the company, which had gone into decline since Jacob took over and had reached the point of no return. After that, Falcon and Stuart were sold to Mr. Percival for the Skarloey Railway at the knockdown price of £25 each. For years later, the Aluminium Works was left to rot before being converted to a waste dump.

## Engines

1. Bertram (scrapped alive by Jacob Hockings)
2. Freddie (destroyed in an staged accident by Jacob Hockings)
3. Falcon/No. 3 (renamed Sir Handel; operational at the Skarloey Railway)
4. Stuart/No. 4 (renamed Peter Sam; operational at the Skarloey Railway)