THE WORLD’S FIRST LOCOMOTIVE FACTORY

By T Hugh Fenwick

The Robert Stephenson Trust

64 pages with 77 illustrations   Softback

ISBN 978 095 3516 209

 

The World’s First Locomotive Factory has been published by The Robert Stephenson Trust to coincide with and commemorate the bicentenary of the founding of Robert Stephenson & Co in 1823. It provides a concise history of Robert Stephenson & Company (RS&Co), presented in two parts. The first covers the period 1823 to 1902, when the works were in the Forth Banks industrial area of Newcastle upon Tyne. The business outgrew the space in this area. To remain viable, it relocated to a new factory at Darlington, opened in October 1902. The second part relates to the Darlington business until the last locomotive left the works in 1964.

The narrative starts with how the company came to be; how Rocket and the Rainhill Trials developed locomotives suitable for high speed passenger transport, and how their further improvements set the principles of locomotive design for more than a century. Under Robert Stephenson’s guidance as Managing Partner the company became the pride of Newcastle. Change was inevitable as competition increased from other manufacturers both at home and abroad during the 1850s. In 1859 Robert Stephenson died a few days before his 56^th birthday. His cousin George Robert took on leadership of the firm for 40 years. They were difficult times for the business due to fluctuating demand for locomotives, keen cost competition and limited space at Forth Banks to improve production methods. From the 1850s the firm diversified into building marine engines as well as locomotives. By 1886 RS&Co was struggling to be profitable. The marine business was moved down the Tyne to a shipyard at Hebburn to allow the Newcastle site to be used exclusively for locomotive manufacture and reduce production costs. The poor financial situation continued, which led to the company becoming a public limited company, Robert Stephenson & Co. Ltd., in 1899 to raise capital for a new factory at Darlington.

The business strategy for the Darlington works was to build small batches of high-quality locos. For the first twenty years most were for export. Locomotives were produced for numerous track gauges and with many different wheel arrangements. The multiplicity of products is shown to good effect in photographs, many of which are from the company’s marketing literature. The years 1920 to 1937 were challenging for all British locomotive manufacturers due to industrial disputes in the early 1920’s that led to cancelled overseas orders, followed in the 1930s by the world recession. Robert Stephenson & Co. Ltd built some very fine locos in this period but to survive they had to reduce overhead costs. In 1937 they amalgamated with the locomotive department of Hawthorn Leslie & Co. at Forth Banks to form Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd (RSH). Main line locomotive building was concentrated at Darlington and industrial locomotives at Newcastle but the firm continued to struggle financially. Their fortunes improved after the Vulcan Foundry Ltd merged with RSH in 1944 bringing valuable overseas orders that included main line electric locos. Further change came in March 1955 when the Vulcan Foundry including RSH was bought by English Electric Co. Ltd. From 1955 to 1958 RSH production was mainly industrial tank engines and diesel shunters until the Forth Banks factory closed in 1960 and the Darlington works were dedicated to building diesel and electric locomotives. Thereafter, British Rail Classes 20, 40 and 37 diesel electrics and 04 diesel mechanical shunters formed the bulk of production.

This well illustrated little book outlines the activities and products of the works that carried the Stephenson name for 140 years, from the founding of Robert Stephenson & Co in 1823 to closure of English Electric Co. Ltd, Stephenson Works, Darlington in 1964.

 BOOK ORDER FORM:                                                                     Price £8 including P and P to UK address

 Terms are strictly payment with order. We can accept orders electronically by email. We are unable to take payment by credit card.

Orders by Post: Cheques (in Sterling & drawn on a UK bank) should be made payable to 'Robert Stephenson Trust)'. Do not send cash.

Orders by Email: Payment by BACS to HSBC Bank Sort Code 40 34 18 Account 32369052 Reference: yournameRS

Prices are applicable to the UK only.  For overseas orders please contact the Trust directly. Please allow 28 days for delivery.

 

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Orders by Post: Please print this order and send it, with your cheque, made out to Robert Stephenson Trust to:-

Mr. T H Fenwick, Copper Coin, Main Street, Claxton, York YO60 7SD

Orders by Email: Send a copy of this order to : rstrust@robertstephensontrust.com  together with confirmation you have made payment electronically.