Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. are a builder of steam and later fireless and diesel locomotives. The company's history dates to foundation of an engineering workshop in 1840 in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
After a long period of operation the company was acquired by the Hunslet group in 1972 and renamed Hunslet-Barclay; in 2007 the company changed hands after bankruptcy becoming Brush-Barclay as part of the FKI Group. In 2011 Brush Traction and Brush-Barclay were acquired from FKI by Wabtec - as of 2012 the company still operates in Kilmarnock providing rail engineering services as Wabtec Rail Scotland.
Born in 1814, Andrew Barclay was only 25 years of age when he set up a partnership with Thomas McCulloch to manufacture mill shafts in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It was only a couple of years later that he branched out on his own to manufacture his patented gas lamps. In 1847 he set up workshops specializing in the manufacture of winding engines for the local coal mining industry. However, the money from the gas lamp patent sale was never paid and sequestration of the company came the following year.
By 1859 Barclay had recovered from this setback and his newly formed company produced its first locomotive. Sometime around 1871 Andrew Barclay set up a second locomotive building business known as Barclays & Co. He had set up this company for his younger brother, John, and his four sons. This business remaining closely associated with Andrew Barclay. Again not all went well and the companies were declared bankrupt in 1874 and 1882 respectively. Four years after this latest collapse, Andrew Barclay’s business was relaunched as Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. Later Barclays & Co was also revived. Further difficulties arose. In 1892 the firm became a limited liability company as Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., Ltd. Just two years later Andrew was removed from control of the company which bore his name by its shareholders. Barclay sued the company for unpaid wages, a matter which was settled out of court 5 years later.
In 1930 the company bought the business of John Cochrane (Barrhead) Ltd, engine makers and in 1963 it acquired the goodwill of the North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow.
In 1972 the company was acquired by the Leeds-based Hunslet Group of companies and its name was changed in 1989 to Hunslet-Barclay Ltd. As such, it operated six ex-British Rail Class 20 diesels to provide motive power for weed-killing trains used on the national rail network. The locomotive interests of Hunslet-Barclay were bought by LH Group, Staffordshire on 31 December 2003, with Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock continuing in the business of design, manufacture and refurbishment of multiple units, rolling stock, bogies and wheel-sets.
Some Barclay locomotives were supplied through Lennox Lange, who acted as an agent for Barclay.
After going into financial administration in 2007 the company was acquired by the locomotive builder Brush Traction of Loughborough through its parent, the FKI Group. It was renamed Brush-Barclay.
Wabtec Rail Scotland
On 28 February 2011, Wabtec announced that it had acquired Brush Traction for US$31 million. The Kilmarnock works became Wabtec Rail Scotland.
The company was noted for constructing simple robust locomotives, chiefly for industrial use, and many of its products survive in use on heritage railways, over 100 in Britain. A typical product would be an 0-4-0 with squared-off saddle tank.
Barclay was the largest builder of fireless locomotives in Britain, building 114 of them between 1913 and 1961. Few fireless locomotives are seen in action today. This is due to the low power of the locomotives, the long time needed to charge a locomotive from cold and the low steam pressures available for charging. Perhaps the only exception was "Lord Ashfield" (Andrew Barclay works no. 1989 of 1930) at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester that ran for a while in the 1990s sharing a steam supply with the stationary exhibits in their exhibition hall.
The company built diesel shunting locomotives for industry and for British Rail. Classes included British Rail Class D2/5, British Rail Class 01 and British Rail Class 06.
Over 80 Andrew Barclay locomotives were supplied to railways in Ireland (Irish Turf Board/Bord na Móna), Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Port Authority).
A large number of various ABS&Co locomotives have been preserved, proving popular on many Heritage Railways and Railway Centres, as listed below.
Standard Gauge
'Steam Locomotives'
Crane Tank No' 6 - Preserved and currently on display in the museum at the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway in Scotland
Crane Tank "Stanton 24" - Preserved and on Static Display inside the Matthew Kirtley Museum, on the Midland Railway – Butterley in Derbyshire
Crane Tank No' 880 "Glenfield No'1" - Preserved and currently awaiting restoration at the Ribble Steam Railway in Lancashire
No' 1 - Preserved and on Static Display at the Bury Transport Museum in Greater Manchester
No' 1 B.C.G.D
No' 3 "Lady Victoria" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway in Scotland
No' 3 "Clyde's Mill" - Preserved and currently on Display at the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway in Scotland
No' 4 - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway in Scotland
No' 5 "Nora" - Preserved and currently static at the Big Pit National Coal Museum, in Wales
No' 6 (as no'22) - Preserved and running on the Bowes Railway, Tyne & Wear, North-East England
No' 8 - Preserved and currently being overhauled at the Derwent Valley Light Railway near York, in North Yorkshire
No' 10 "Forth" - Preserved and running on the Fife Heritage Railway in Scotland
No' 10 "Lochelly"
No' 10 "Waterside"
No' 11
No' 15 "Earl David" - Preserved and running on the Avon Valley Railway in Gloucestershire
No' 16 - Preserved and on Display at the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre in Scotland
No' 17 "Braeriach" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Strathspey Railway in Scotland
No' 17a - Preserved and awaiting a major overhaul at the Fife Heritage Railway in Scotland
No' 19
No' 20
No' 22 - Preserved and under restoration at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, in North Yorkshire
No' 23 - Preserved and on Display at the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre in Scotland
No' 24 - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway in Scotland
No' 25 - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre in Scotland
No' 29 Fife Coal Co LTD
No' 47 "Alexander"
No' 699 "Swanscombe" - Preserved and running at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton Road in Buckinghamshire
No' 701
No' 705 - Preserved and running on the Plym Valley Railway in Devon
No' 719 "Lady Nan" - Preserved and running on the East Somerset Railway in Somerset
No' 782 "Kinlet"
No' 807 "Bon Accord" - Preserved and running on the Royal Deeside Railway in Scotland
No' 885 "The Barclay" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Cambrian Heritage Railway in Oswestry, Shropshire
No' 945 "Annie" - Preserved and currently under restoration at the Whitwell & Reepham Railway in Norfolk
No' 1015 "Horden" - Preserved and currently being overhauled at Tanfield Railway in County Durham, North-East England
No' 1047 "Storefield" - Preserved and running at the East Anglian Railway Museum in Essex
No' 1147 "John Howe" - Preserved and running on the Ribble Steam Railway in Lancashire
No' 1219 "Caledonia Works" - Preserved and running on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
No' 1223 "Colin MacAndrew" - Preserved and running on the Chasewater Railway in Staffordshire
No' 1245 - Preserved and running on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in Cumbria
No' 1260 "Forester" - Preserved and running on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
No' 1398 "Lord Fisher" - Preserved and running at the Yeovil Railway Centre in Somerset
No' 1472 "Bluebottle" - Preserved and on Display at the Bressingham Steam and Gardens in Norfolk
No' 1477 - Preserved and on Static Display at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
No' 1550 "Sir James" - Now on Static Display at HM Factory, Gretna
No' 1598 "Efficient"
No' 1823 "Harry" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
No' 1833 "Niddrie" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Ribble Steam Railway in Lancashire
No' 1865
No' 1931 - Preserved and running at the Rutland Railway Museum near Leicestershire
No' 1964 "Spitfire" - Preserved and running on the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway in Lincolnshire
No' 1969 "JN Derbyshire"
No' 2015 "Tom Parry" Preserved and awaiting restoration at Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
No' 2074 "Llantarnam Abbey" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
No' 2088 "Sir Thomas Royden" - Preserved and running at the Rutland Railway Museum near Leicestershire
No' 2107 "Harlaxton" - Preserved and running on the Caledonian Railway (Brechin) in Scotland
No' 2138 "Swordfish" - Preserved and running on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in Wiltshire
No' 2139 "Salmon" - Preserved and running on the Royal Deeside Railway in Scotland
No' 2157 "Fambridge"
No' 2168 "Edmundsons" - Preserved and running at the Rushden Transport Museum in Northamptonshire
No' 2199 - Preserved and running at the Whitwell & Reepham Railway in Norfolk
No' 2201 "Victory" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
No' 2217 "Henry Ellison" - Preserved and running on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire
No' 2220 "Invicta" - Preserved and under restoration at the Chatham Historic Dockyard Railway in Kent
No' 2221 - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Dean Forest Railway in Gloucestershire
No' 2226 "Katie" - Preserved and awaiting a major overhaul at the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire
No' 2239 "Mr Therm" - Preserved and on static display at Seaton Park.
No' 2243 - Preserved and on Static Display at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
No' 2248 "Albert" - Preserved and awaiting an overhaul on the Plym Valley Railway in Devon
No' 2264 "Fife Flyer No'6" - Preserved and under restoration at the Cambrian Heritage Railway in Oswestry, Shropshire
No' 2315 "Lady Ingrid" - Preserved and currently being overhauled at the Spa Valley Railway in Kent/Sussex
No' 2333 "David"
No' 2343 "British Gypsum No'4" - Preserved and currently awaiting restoration at the Ribble Steam Railway in Lancashire
No' 2350 "Belvoir" - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Rutland Railway Museum near Leicestershire
No' 2354 "Richard Trevithick" - Preserved and running on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in Wiltshire
No' 2360 "Brian Harrison No'3" - Preserved and running on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire
No' 2361 "W.S.T" - Preserved and awaiting an overhaul on the Bowes Railway in Tyne & Wear, North-East England
No' 2369
No' W38 - Preserved and currently stored on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on the Isle of Wight
Little Barford
Dardanelles - Preserved and on Display at Polkemmet Country Park in Scotland.
Dalmellington Iron Co. No. 17 - Preserved and awaiting a major overhaul at the Llangollen Railway in North-East Wales.
Rosyth No' 1 - Preserved and running on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in Wales
The Wemyss Coal Co LTD
Tiny
'Diesel Locomotives'
'Steam Locomotives'
No' 2 LM44 - Preserved and running on the Stradbally Woodland Railway in Ireland.
No' 3 Darent - Preserved and running on the Kempton Steam Railway in Hounslow, West End of London.
No' 3 Shane - Preserved and running on the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway in Ireland.
No' 4 Doll - Preserved and running on the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway in Bedfordshire.
No' 6 Douglas - Preserved and running on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales.
No' 8 Dougal - Preserved and running on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Mid-Wales.
No' 9 Jack - Preserved and running somewhere in Reading, Berkshire.
Cegin - Preserved and awaiting restoration at the Statfold Barn Railway in Staffordshire.
Gertrude - Preserved and running on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in North Wales.
'Diesel Locomotives'
