Dick, Kerr & Co.

Dick, Kerr and Company
Company type	Private company (before 1890), Limited company (from 1890)
Industry	Engineering, Manufacturing
Founded	1854 in Glasgow, Scotland
Founder	William Bruce Dick
Defunct	1919
Fate	Merged into English Electric Company Ltd.
Headquarters	Preston and Kilmarnock, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, France, Japan, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Portugal
Key people	William Bruce Dick, John Kerr
Products	Locomotives, tramcars, steam launches, gas engines, electrical equipment, steam turbines, lamps, alternators, munitions, aircraft designs
Parent	English Electric Company Ltd. (from 1919)

Dick, Kerr and Company operated as a manufacturer of locomotives and tramcars, with facilities located in Kilmarnock, Scotland, and Preston, England.

Early history

Founded in 1854 in Glasgow by William Bruce Dick, W.B. Dick and Company initially specialized in oil refining and the production of ship paints. By 1890, the firm had established depots and workshops in several cities including Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Barrow-in-Furness, Cardiff, and Hamburg. The partnership formed in 1883 with John Kerr marked the company’s entry into the rail transport sector, supplying tramway components and rolling stock, and manufacturing approximately fifty locomotives up until 1919.

Starting in 1885, Dick, Kerr began producing steam launches at its Britannia Works located in Kilmarnock. By 1888, the company developed the 'Griffin' gas engine as a workaround to Otto’s patent on the four-stroke cycle, subsequently offering a broad range of gas engines based on Otto's design by 1892.

The transition to a limited company occurred in 1890 to support growth in engineering and contracting services, accompanied by investment in advanced iron and steel foundry operations at Kilmarnock.

Until the end of the 1890s, steam tram engines were the primary product; however, after acquiring assets from the Patent Cable Tramways Corporation in 1888, the company expanded into cable tramway construction. Projects included cable tramways in locations such as Brixton, Douglas, Matlock, and Edinburgh. Despite this expansion, electric tramways soon became dominant in the industry. Consequently, Dick Kerr established itself as a prominent builder of electric tramcars.

In 1893, the company expanded by acquiring facilities at Preston along with railway and tramway plant operations from Hartley, Arnoux and Fanning—formerly part of Kerr Stuart and Company.

On 24 August 1899, Dick, Kerr was re-registered to unify its engineering and contracting activities. That same year saw the creation of the English Electric Manufacturing Co., which concentrated on producing electrical equipment for railways and tramways at new premises in Preston. By 1902, Dick, Kerr had gained controlling interest in this company to broaden its manufacturing capabilities.

The firm was a key participant at both the First (1900) and Second (1902) International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibitions held in London.

In 1904, Dick, Kerr won contracts to electrify sections of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Between 1904 and 1912, it delivered sixty early single-deck tramcars to Hong Kong Tramways; these vehicles remained operational until 1935. The company also commenced production of steam turbines under Bergmann patents beginning in 1910 and opened a lamp manufacturing facility at Preston in 1911 that produced metal filament lamps.

Additionally, Dick, Kerr supplied eleven alternators to Sydney’s Municipal Council for use at Pyrmont Power Station during the period from 1904 to 1914.

The First World War

Throughout the First World War, Dick, Kerr shifted its focus toward munitions manufacturing and produced aircraft designs developed by the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe.

The company manufactured one hundred petrol-electric locomotives for use by the War Department Light Railways. These seven-ton locomotives were equipped with a 45 hp Dorman 4JO petrol engine coupled to a 30 kW DC generator operating at 1000 rpm that supplied up to 500 volts to two traction motors. This arrangement allowed hauling loads up to 100 tons at speeds of approximately 5.2 mph. Speed regulation was achieved through adjustments to generator voltage. The design featured electric starting capability and could also serve as mobile power generators. A parallel order for another hundred similar locomotives was placed with British Westinghouse, who were likely the original designers. This early implementation of a Ward Leonard control system was selected over overhead electric supply due to impracticality concerns expressed by the War Department.

Dick, Kerr further provided twenty-five cycle alternators to New South Wales Railways and Tramways for installation at the Ultimo Power Station and White Bay Power Station, commissioned between 1913 and 1918.

In 1917, they expanded their portfolio through acquisition of the United Electric Car Company based in Preston.

Postwar Developments

As the conflict drew to a close, the firm redirected its efforts towards civilian markets, acquiring Willans and Robinson along with the United Electric Car Company by November 1918. They entered into a partnership with Siemens Brothers & Co Ltd and set up operations in France and Japan to serve railway and tramway sectors. Additionally, an arrangement was made with Coventry Ordnance Works Ltd to strengthen their engineering expertise.

In 1919, the Britannia facility located in Kilmarnock was sold to the Kilmarnock Engineering Company. This company manufactured steam, electric, and petrol-powered locomotives, as well as mining machinery and rolling stock until at least the mid-1930s, although only a limited number of these products have survived.

Concurrently, Dick, Kerr & Co was integrated into the newly formed English Electric Company Ltd. This consolidation brought together Dick Kerr, Coventry Ordnance Works, Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company, United Electric Car Company, and Willans & Robinson Ltd under one corporate umbrella. Later that year, in November 1919, English Electric expanded further by acquiring Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works Ltd based in Stafford.

Most of the incorporated firms maintained their individual operational frameworks. By 1920, English Electric had established itself as a manufacturer of electrical machinery with facilities located at:

Dick Kerr Works in Preston
Ordnance Works in Coventry
Phoenix Works in Bradford
Siemens Works in Stafford
Willans Works in Rugby

The Dick Kerr brand continued to be used at the Preston plant well into the 1950s.

Locomotives

Several locomotives built by Dick Kerr are still extant, including:

A gauge locomotive from 1917 housed at the Tacot de Lacs in France
A gauge engine dating to 1918 preserved on the Vale of Rheidol Railway, Aberystwyth, UK
The gauge "Gresham," constructed in 1910 for Marian Mill #3 in Queensland; displayed in Pioneer Shire Council Park, Seaforth from 1964 before entering private ownership and currently stored at Echuca, Victoria awaiting restoration
The gauge "Valdora," built in 1893 for Racecourse Mill and later Moreton Mill in Queensland; exhibited since 1964 at Nambour, Queensland
Gauge MTR No.2 from 1910 originally built for Karachi Port Trust; subsequently used at Marala Timber Depot and Creosating Plant on Northern Railway of India; refurbished in 2000 and now preserved non-operational at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi
Gauge MTR No.1 also from 1910 for Karachi Port Trust; served Marala Timber Depot and Northern Railway of India; restored in 1990 and displayed at Northern Railway General Manager's Office, Baroda House, New Delhi

Trams

Surviving trams manufactured by Dick Kerr include:

Electric Tram 19 – an early 1900s narrow-gauge open-top double-decker tram likely used on the Dudley-Stourbridge route; currently stored at the Black Country Living Museum
Leicester Tram No.76 – operated from 1904 until 1947; later repurposed as a cricket pavilion; fully restored and exhibited at the National Tramway Museum
Trams originating from the Tranvía de Sóller system on Majorca
Vehicles from the tram network in Trams in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Lisbon tram series numbered 400–474 (built around 1901 by St. Louis Car Company with control systems supplied by Dick, Kerr & Co.); surviving units include numbers 436 (located in Portland), as well as 435, 437, 441, 444, and 446 still operating or preserved in Portugal. The “caixote” series (numbers 403–610), which were locally rebuilt during 1960–61 incorporating elements from these original trams including inherited controllers; tram number 442 is confirmed to have survived as of 2014.

Additional Products

An important example of the 6-stroke Griffin gas engine developed by Dick, Kerr & Co is on display at the Anson Engine Museum. Moreover, the company’s 2-foot gauge V-skip railway wagon is maintained by the Moseley Railway Trust.

External links