Hawthorn Leslie and Company
Encyclopedia
R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive
manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside
in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.
in Hebburn
with the locomotive works of R. and W. Hawthorn
at St.Peter's in Newcastle upon Tyne
in 1886. The Company disposed of its locomotive manufacturing interests in 1937 to Robert Stephenson and Company
which became Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
Ltd.
Perhaps the most famous ship built by the Company was HMS Kelly
launched in 1938 and commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten. In 1968 the Company's shipbuilding interests were merged with that of Swan Hunter
and the Vickers Naval Yard to create Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders
.
The Company's shipbuilding interests were nationalised and subsumed with British Shipbuilders
in 1977; in 1979 its engine business was merged with George Clark & NEM
, which had also been nationalised, to form Clark Hawthorn.
The Company's main shipbuilding yard at Hebburn
closed in 1982,was sold to Cammell Laird
and then acquired by A&P Group
in 2001 but now lies derelict. The Company itself, deprived of its main activity, diversified into telephones. In March 1993 Vodafone
made a bid for the Company which by then had become a mobile phone air time reseller.
, light
and industrial
railways, including a large number built for export, usually to the designs of the Crown Agents.
The company manufactured locomotives to order for main line companies. Four 0-4-4
locomotives were supplied to the Metropolitan Railway
between 1896 and 1901. In 1915 F.G.Smith of the Highland Railway
ordered six 4-6-0
s to his own designs. However they were rejected by that railway as being too heavy, they were taken over by the Caledonian Railway
. The London and North Eastern Railway
ordered a batch of Great Central designed locomotives
from the Company in 1925/6.
In addition it built locomotives to its own designs such as a 4-2-2-0
with four cylinders - two inside and two outside - connected separately to the two pairs of driving wheels. It was produced for the Chicago World's Fair
of 1893 but could not produce sufficient steam to compete effectively with the American products.
The company later had a number of standard designs including 0-4-0
saddle tanks and fireless locomotives.
Diesel
Hawthorn Leslie, in collaboration with the English Electric
Company, built diesel shunting locomotives
for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in the 1930s. This design formed the basis for the later British Rail Class 08
diesel shunter.
Electric
Hawthorn Leslie, and its successor Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns, built four electric locomotive
s for Kearsley power station between 1928 and 1946 and three of these still exist. No. 2 has been converted to battery operation and is in use at Heysham nuclear power station. Nos. 1 and 3 are preserved, see below.
Steam
A number of Hawthorn Leslie Saddle Tanks are in preservation today, including 0-4-0
37 Invincible of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
, 3717 at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
, Cyclops at the Tanfield Railway
, and a further example is awaiting overhaul at the SRPS Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
. The Rutland Railway Museum
and the Cambrian Railway Trust both have an 0-6-0
ST awaiting restoration. Another, works number 3837, has recently been sold to the Hawthorn Leslie 3837 Preservation Society. It has been moved from Leatherhead
Leisure Centre to the Lavender Line
in East Sussex
where it is undergoing a full restoration. Asbestos, Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST, 2780 (built 1909), is preserved at the Chasewater Railway
.
Diesel
LMS diesel shunter no. 7069
(built by Hawthorn Leslie in 1935) is preserved at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
.
Electric
Two of the Kearsley power station locomotives (see above) are preserved. No. 1 at the Coventry Railway Centre
and no. 3 at the Tanfield Railway
.
:Category:Hawthorn Leslie and Company locomotives
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.
History
The Company was formed by the merger of the shipbuilder A. Leslie and CompanyA. Leslie and Company
A. Leslie and Company was a shipbuilding company that was started in around 1853, based North-East England. The company later merged with the locomotive manufacturer R and W Hawthorn to create Hawthorn Leslie and Company in 1886, when the founder Andrew Leslie retired.Between 1854 and 1885 the...
in Hebburn
Hebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
with the locomotive works of R. and W. Hawthorn
R and W Hawthorn
R and W Hawthorn Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Newcastle upon Tyne, England from 1817 until 1880.-Locomotive building:Robert Hawthorne first began business at Forth Bank Works in 1817, building marine and stationary steam engines. In 1820, his brother joined him and the firm became R and W...
at St.Peter's in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 1886. The Company disposed of its locomotive manufacturing interests in 1937 to Robert Stephenson and Company
Robert Stephenson and Company
Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.- Foundation and early success :...
which became Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd was a locomotive builder with works in North East England.-History:The company was formed in September 1937 when Robert Stephenson and Company, which was based in Darlington took over the locomotive building department of Hawthorn Leslie and Company, based in...
Ltd.
Perhaps the most famous ship built by the Company was HMS Kelly
HMS Kelly (F01)
HMS Kelly was a K-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, and flotilla leader of her class. She served through the early years of the Second World War; in Home Waters, off Norway and in the Mediterranean. Throughout her service, Kelly was commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten. She was lost in...
launched in 1938 and commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten. In 1968 the Company's shipbuilding interests were merged with that of Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
and the Vickers Naval Yard to create Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
.
The Company's shipbuilding interests were nationalised and subsumed with British Shipbuilders
British Shipbuilders
British Shipbuilders Corporation was a public corporation that owned and managed the shipbuilding industry in England and Scotland from 1977 and through the 1980s...
in 1977; in 1979 its engine business was merged with George Clark & NEM
George Clark & NEM
George Clark & NEM was a leading British marine engineering business. The Company was based in Sunderland and was a major employer in the area.-History:...
, which had also been nationalised, to form Clark Hawthorn.
The Company's main shipbuilding yard at Hebburn
Hebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
closed in 1982,was sold to Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
and then acquired by A&P Group
A&P Group
A&P Group Ltd is the largest ship repair and conversion company in the UK, with three shipyards located in Hebburn, Middlesbrough and Falmouth. The Company undertakes a wide variety of maintenance and repair work on commercial and military ships with projects ranging from a two day alongside repair...
in 2001 but now lies derelict. The Company itself, deprived of its main activity, diversified into telephones. In March 1993 Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
made a bid for the Company which by then had become a mobile phone air time reseller.
Locomotives
After the merger the locomotive side continued manufacturing for main lineMain line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
, light
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
and industrial
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
railways, including a large number built for export, usually to the designs of the Crown Agents.
Designs
SteamThe company manufactured locomotives to order for main line companies. Four 0-4-4
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...
locomotives were supplied to the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan Railway E Class
The Metropolitan Railway E Class is a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotives.A total of seven locomotives were built between 1896 and 1901 for the Metropolitan Railway: three by themselves at their Neasden Works and four by Hawthorn Leslie in Newcastle. One locomotive became Metropolitan Railway No.1...
between 1896 and 1901. In 1915 F.G.Smith of the Highland Railway
Highland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
ordered six 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
s to his own designs. However they were rejected by that railway as being too heavy, they were taken over by the Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
. The London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
ordered a batch of Great Central designed locomotives
GCR Class 9N
The Great Central Railway Class 9N, classified A5 by the LNER, was a class of 4-6-2 tank locomotives designed by John G. Robinson for suburban passenger services. They were fitted with superheaters, piston valves and Stephenson valve gear....
from the Company in 1925/6.
In addition it built locomotives to its own designs such as a 4-2-2-0
4-2-2-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-2-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, four powered but uncoupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
with four cylinders - two inside and two outside - connected separately to the two pairs of driving wheels. It was produced for the Chicago World's Fair
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1893 but could not produce sufficient steam to compete effectively with the American products.
The company later had a number of standard designs including 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
saddle tanks and fireless locomotives.
- Two 2-4-02-4-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels....
were supplied to the Kent and East Sussex RailwayKent and East Sussex RailwayThe Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
in 1899.
- In 1907 an 0-8-00-8-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
tank locomotiveTank locomotiveA tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
design was supplied to the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction RailwayPlymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction RailwayThe Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway in England was built by an independent company but operated by the London and South Western Railway as part of its main line to give it independent access to Plymouth. It ran from to Devonport Junction, just west of Plymouth North Road...
, and another to the Kent and East Sussex Railway.
- Two 0-6-20-6-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
T locomotives were supplied to the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway in 1911. 27 similar locomotives were supplied to the Taff Vale RailwayTaff Vale Railway A classThe Taff Vale Railway A class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by J. Cameron and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1914. The A class was an enlarged version of the Taff Vale Railway O4 class designed by Tom Hurry Riches in 1907....
after 1914.
Diesel
Hawthorn Leslie, in collaboration with the English Electric
English Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
Company, built diesel shunting locomotives
British Rail Class D3/6
Class D3/6 were diesel shunters built in 1935 by English Electric for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. They were the first of a new design of diesel shunters based on the English Electric 6K of diesel engine.-Numbering:...
for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in the 1930s. This design formed the basis for the later British Rail Class 08
British Rail Class 08
The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
diesel shunter.
Electric
Hawthorn Leslie, and its successor Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns, built four electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s for Kearsley power station between 1928 and 1946 and three of these still exist. No. 2 has been converted to battery operation and is in use at Heysham nuclear power station. Nos. 1 and 3 are preserved, see below.
Preserved locomotives
A number of Hawthorn Leslie Saddle Tanks are in preservation today, including 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
37 Invincible of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...
, 3717 at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre is a railway museum operated by the Quainton Railway Society Ltd. at Quainton Road railway station, in the far depths of "Metro-land", about 5 miles west of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. The site is divided into two halves which are joined by two foot-bridges, one of...
, Cyclops at the Tanfield Railway
Tanfield Railway
The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all...
, and a further example is awaiting overhaul at the SRPS Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a Heritage railway in Falkirk, Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, and operates some 5 miles of track, virtually the entire Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway that became part of the former North British Railway on the Firth...
. The Rutland Railway Museum
Rutland Railway Museum
Rutland Railway Museum now trading as Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum is a heritage railway on part of a former Midland Railway mineral branch line. It is situated NE of Oakham, in Rutland, England.-Overview:...
and the Cambrian Railway Trust both have an 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
ST awaiting restoration. Another, works number 3837, has recently been sold to the Hawthorn Leslie 3837 Preservation Society. It has been moved from Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
Leisure Centre to the Lavender Line
Lavender Line
The Lavender Line is an informal name for a heritage railway based at Isfield Station, near Uckfield in East Sussex.- History :The Lavender Line formed part of the Lewes to Uckfield Railway when it was opened on the 18 October 1858...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
where it is undergoing a full restoration. Asbestos, Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST, 2780 (built 1909), is preserved at the Chasewater Railway
Chasewater Railway
The Chasewater Railway is a former colliery railway running round the shores of Chasewater in Staffordshire, England. It is now operated as a heritage railway.The line is approximately two miles in length, contained entirely within Chasewater Country Park...
.
Diesel
LMS diesel shunter no. 7069
British Rail Class D3/6
Class D3/6 were diesel shunters built in 1935 by English Electric for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. They were the first of a new design of diesel shunters based on the English Electric 6K of diesel engine.-Numbering:...
(built by Hawthorn Leslie in 1935) is preserved at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently...
.
Electric
Two of the Kearsley power station locomotives (see above) are preserved. No. 1 at the Coventry Railway Centre
Coventry Railway Centre
The Electric Railway Museum is located in Warwickshire, south of Coventry city, outside Baginton, and near to Coventry Airport. The heritage railway centre was also known as "The Airfield Line" as the railway was built on the site of a greenfield...
and no. 3 at the Tanfield Railway
Tanfield Railway
The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all...
.
Shipbuilding
Ships built by Hawthorn Leslie included:Aircraft Carriers
Cruisers
Frigates
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
|
Destroyers
|
HMS Jervis (F00) HMS Jervis was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy named after Admiral John Jervis . Jervis was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 26 August 1937... HMS Kale (1904) HMS Kale was a River-class destroyer named after the Scottish River Kale. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.-Construction:... HMS Kelly (F01) HMS Kelly was a K-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, and flotilla leader of her class. She served through the early years of the Second World War; in Home Waters, off Norway and in the Mediterranean. Throughout her service, Kelly was commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten. She was lost in... HMS Montrose (D01) The first HMS Montrose was one of eight Admiralty-type destroyer leaders, sometimes known as the Scott class. They were named after figures from Scottish history and were ordered under the Wartime Emergency Construction Programme... HMS Lightning (G55) HMS Lightning was an L-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 22 April 1940 and sunk on 12 March 1943 by German Motor Torpedo Boat S-55.... HMS Pathfinder (G10) HMS Pathfinder was a P class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War, being damaged while serving in the Far East, and was scrapped after the end of the war.... HMS Quail (G45) HMS Quail was a Q class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War but her career lasted less than a year before she was damaged by a mine and withdrawn from active service.-Construction and commissioning:... HMS Quilliam (G09) HMS Quilliam was a Q class destroyer serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, and the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1946 to 1957.-Construction:The ship was laid down by R. and W... HMS Saintes (D84) HMS Saintes was a 1942 Battle-class fleet destroyer of the Royal Navy , she and 15 sister ships being ordered under the 1942 defence estimates. She was named after the Battle of the Saintes, a Royal Navy victory over a French fleet intending to invade Jamaica in 1782. So far she has been the only... |
HMS Thracian (1920) HMS Thracian was an Admiralty S class destroyer of the Royal Navy.HMS Thracian was laid down on 17 January 1918 at Hawthorn Leslie and Company, launched on 5 March 1920 and completed at Sheerness Dockyard on 1 April 1922.... HMS Tigress (1911) HMS Tigress was an Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served during World War I. She was built under the 1910–11 shipbuilding programme by R. W... HMS Turbulent (1919) HMS Turbulent was an S-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 29 May 1919 and saw little or no active service before being decommissioned in 1936. She was one of the obsolete destroyers handed over to the shipbreakers Ward in part-payment for on 25 August 1936, and was then broken... HMS Warwick (D25) HMS Warwick was a Admiralty 'W' class destroyer built in 1917.She saw service in both the First and Second World Wars, before being torpedoed and sunk in January 1944.-Construction:... HMS Waveney (1903) HMS Waveney was a River-class destroyer named after the River Waveney. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.-Construction:... HMS Zulu (1909) The first HMS Zulu was an Tribal Class destroyer launched 16 September 1909 at Hawthorn Leslie Shipyard and commissioned in March, 1910.... |
Merchant ships
|
Further reading
- J. F. Clarke (1979), Power on Land and Sea: 160 Years of Industrial Enterprise on Tyneside: A History of R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co., Ltd., Engineers and Shipbuilders, Clark Hawthorn
See also
- List of shipbuilders and shipyards
:Category:Hawthorn Leslie and Company locomotives