John Fowler & Co Engineers of Leathley Road, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England produced traction engines and ploughing implements and equipment, as well as railway equipment. Fowler also produced the Track Marshall tractor which was a tracked version of the Field Marshall. British Railways Engineering Department locomotives ED1 to ED7 were built by Fowler
John Fowler was an agricultural engineer and inventor who was born in Wiltshire in 1826. He worked on the mechanisation of agriculture and was based in Leeds. He is credited with the invention of steam-driven ploughing engines. He died 4 December 1864, following a hunting accident. After his death, John Fowler & Co., was then continued by Robert Fowler and Robert Eddison. In 1886 the limited company of John Fowler & Co., (Leeds) Ltd., was formed. It merged with Marshall, Sons & Co., Ltd., of Gainsborough in 1947 to form Marshall-Fowler Ltd.
Although not well known for them, Fowler also built a small number (117 has been claimed) of steam wagons. These were vertical-boilered, with an unusual single-crank cross-compound vee-twin engine. At least one was preserved, as part of the Tom Varley collection.
During the Second World War, the Hunslet factory also produced Matilda, Cromwell, and Centaur tanks for the Army. Production finally ceased in early 1974.
Some locations of preserved Fowler railway locomotives include:
Australia
Bennett Brook Railway, a tourist railway in Perth, Western Australia
Leeds Fowler 11277: restored in Bundaberg, Australia
Leeds Fowler, 0-6-0T, "Faugh-a Ballagh", preserved at Port Douglas, Australia.
Brazil
Railway Museum in Jundiaí, SP (Brazil). Builder plates #1531 from 1870, she's a 4-4-0 for 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge. Built for Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro where she spent all of her active life and as CP's first locomotive she was numbered #1.
Germany
Open Air Museum "Freilichtmuseum am Kiekeberg", near Hamburg, Germany
New Zealand
Tokomaru Steam Museum, Tokomaru, New Zealand
Silver Stream Railway, Wellington, New Zealand
Canterbury Steam Preservation Society, Christchurch, New Zealand
India
National Railway Museum, Delhi, India
Pakistan
Changa Manga Forest Railway, Pakistan
United Kingdom
Amberley Museum Railway
Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway
East Kent Railway (heritage)
Middleton Railway – two Fowler locomotives
Vale of Rheidol Railway Museum Collection - Not currently on public display
Foxfield Railway
South Africa
Mine Museum Kimberely – two 0-4-2WT Fowler locomotives
The Iron Maiden - a Fowler & Co. -built Showman's engine which was featured in the film The Iron Maiden is exhibited as part of the Scarborough Fair Collection of Fairground organs and machinery at events such as the Great Dorset Steam Fair.
The Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, a volunteer organisation dealing with the preservation of Australia's mechanical heritage, has a number of Fowler Traction Engines and Steam Rollers in preservation, some privately owned by members, and some owned by the club. Most are in restored, operating condition and are demonstrated to the public regularly. Club engines include one of a pair of Z7 ploughing engines.
