Hudswell Clarke

Updated on Oct 09, 2024

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Hudswell clarke 1026 1913

Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

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History

The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hudswell, Clarke and Rogers. There was another change in 1881 to Hudswell, Clarke and Company. The firm became a limited company in 1899.

In 1862, soon after the company had been formed, they were given the initial design work on William Hamond Bartholomew's compartment boats for the Aire and Calder Navigation. The choice of the company may have been influenced by the fact that Bartholomew, the chief engineer for the Navigation, and William Clayton, one of the founders of Hudswell and Clarke, both lived on Spencer Place in Leeds. They produced at least one of the prototype Tom Pudding compartments, but did not get the main contract for their production once the design work had been done.

The locomotive part of the business is now part of the Hunslet Engine Company. Locomotive-building was always only one part of a diverse product inventory that included underground diesel-powered mining locomotives, hydraulic pit-props and related mining equipment.

In 1911 Hudswell Clarke entered into an agreement with Robert Hudson for the manufacture of narrow gauge locomotives. This arrangement produced sixteen standardised designs, designated 'A' to 'Q', which ranged from four-coupled (0-4-0) 5 hp engines to six-coupled (0-6-0) 55 hp models. The designs were sufficiently flexible to allow for the various track gauges in use. Over the years, 188 locomotives were supplied to these designs.

In the 1930s the company manufactured narrow gauge steam outline diesel-hydraulic locomotives for use at amusement parks around the country. In 1931 4-6-2 Neptune was delivered to Scarborough North Bay Railway, followed a year later by 4-6-2 Triton, both being 20 inches (510 mm) gauge. In the same year they supplied a 4-6-4T Robin Hood to Golden Acre Park in Leeds followed by a 4-6-2 May Thompson in 1933. They also supplied 4-6-2 Mary Louise and 4-6-4T Carol Jean to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for use on the 21 inches (530 mm) gauge Pleasure Beach Express in 1933. A fire in 1934 badly damaged Carol Jean so 4-6-2 Princess Royal was ordered as a replacement. They went on to build two more 4-6-2 class locomotives, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose for Billy Butlin to use at the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow in 1938 which were then transferred to his holiday camp in Clacton when the exhibition closed.

1931 4-6-2 Neptune (for Scarborough North Bay Railway)

1932 4-6-2 Triton (for Scarborough North Bay Railway)

1932 4-6-4T Robin Hood (for Golden Acre Park, Leeds)

1933 4-6–2 May Thompson (for Golden Acre Park, Leeds, renamed Poseiden in 2007)

1933 4-6-2 Mary Louise (for Blackpool Pleasure Beach Express)

1933 4-6-4T Carol Jean (for Blackpool Pleasure Beach Express)

1934 4-6-2 Princess Royal (for Blackpool Pleasure Beach Express)

1937 4-6-2 Princess Elizabeth (for Billy Butlin, Glasgow then Clacton when the exhibition closed)

1937 4-6-2 Princess Margaret Rose (for Billy Butlin, Glasgow then Clacton when the exhibition closed)

In later years, Hudswell Clarke designed and built diesel locomotives for both main-line and private company use, mainly for use on shunting operations.

Diesel locomotives

Standard gauge (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm))

British Rail Class D2/7 (none preserved)

British Rail Class D2/12 (one preserved)

0-4-0DM D577/1932 Mary at Middleton Railway

0-4-0DM Southam (works no. D604) was outside the Great Western Country Pub and Restaurant, Bishop's Itchington, near Southam, Warwickshire in 2006 but has since left for an unknown destination

0-4-0DM Southam 2 (works no. D625) at Leeds Industrial Museum

0-4-0DM Mighty Atom (works no. D628) at Ribble Steam Railway

0-4-0DM Sparky (works no. D629) at Ribble Steam Railway

0-4-0DM Margaret (works no. D1031) at Ribble Steam Railway

0-6-0DE Manchester Ship Canal 4001 Alnwick Castle (works no. D1075 of 1958) at Winfield's Store, Haslingden, Lancs

0-6-0DE Manchester Ship Canal 4002 Arundel Castle (works no. D1076 of 1958) at East Lancs Railway

0-4-0DM D631/1946 Carroll at Middleton Railway

0-6-0 D707 No. 21 at the Rutland Railway

0-4-0DM Elland No.1 (works no. D1153) at Mangapps Railway Museum, Burnham-on-Crouch

2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge

Eight 145HP, 20 ton 0-8-0 locomotives, and twenty-four 225HP, 29 ton 2-8-2 locomotives, for the Sierra Leone Government Railway, supplied between 1954 and 1961. (not necessarily preserved)

2 ft (610 mm) gauge

4wDM No. D558 (built 1930) at the Moseley Railway Trust at their Apedale Valley Light Railway

4wDM No. D564 (built 1930) at the Phyllis Rampton Trust

Steam-outline diesel locomotives

20-inch (510 mm) gauge

4-6-2 Neptune (1931), Scarborough North Bay Railway

4-6-2 Triton (1932), Scarborough North Bay Railway

4-6-4T Robin Hood (1932), Scarborough North Bay Railway

4-6-2 Poseidon (1933), Scarborough North Bay Railway

21-inch (530 mm) gauge

4-6-2 Mary Louise (1933), Pleasure Beach Express, Blackpool

4-6-4T Carol Jean (1933), Pleasure Beach Express, Blackpool

4-6-2 Geoffrey Thompson OBE (1934), Pleasure Beach Express, Blackpool

4-6-2 Princess Elizabeth (1938), Midland Railway - Butterley undergoing restoration.

4-6-2 Princess Margaret Rose (1938), Midland Railway - Butterley

Military engineering

During the Second World War the company diversified into armaments, as did so many other engineering companies. In the post-war period Hudswell, Clarke and Co Ltd was closely involved in various secret programmes, including the British nuclear weapon programme. The airframe for the first British nuclear bomb, Blue Danube was manufactured by Hudswell Clarke at its Roundhay Road, Leeds, plant. The airframe for Red Beard, the second generation tactical nuclear bomb, followed with that for Violet Club, the Interim Megaton Weapon; and there were many other projects. All the bombs detonated at the Christmas Island H-bomb tests were contained in airframes designed and built by Hudswell Clarke. The company were also major contributors to other military projects, e.g. the Centurion main battle tank conversion into an armoured bridgelayer, that served with the British Army for many years. The contraction of defence manufacturing in the mid-1960s contributed to the sale and demise of the company.