E. B. Wilson and Company

E. B. Wilson and Company
Company type	Private
Industry	Locomotive manufacturing
Founded	1846
Founder	E. B. Wilson
Defunct	1858
Headquarters	Leeds, England
Products	Locomotives, pumping engines, passenger carriages, wagons, maintenance services

E. B. Wilson and Company operated as a locomotive builder situated at the Railway Foundry in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Origins

In 1838, Charles Todd, who had been involved with Todd, Kitson & Laird, partnered with financier Mr. Shepherd to form the Railway Foundry under the name Shepherd and Todd. E.B. Wilson joined this enterprise in 1845 but exited within a year when James Fenton assumed control and rebranded the firm as Fenton, Craven and Company. Following the dissolution of the Craven partnership in 1846, Wilson returned to take full ownership, renaming the business E. B. Wilson and Company, while retaining Fenton as Works Manager. Despite these changes, many maker's plates continued to bear the inscription "The Railway Foundry, Leeds."

Expansion

Production capacity grew significantly, reaching up to fifty locomotives per year. The company’s reputation for quality and dependability was largely attributed to Fenton’s innovative boiler designs.

David Joy

David Joy began his career as an apprentice with Fenton, Murray and Jackson before moving to Shepherd and Todd. He later became Chief Draughtsman, charged with creating a new locomotive design for the London and Brighton Railway. After examining John Gray’s models at Brighton railway works, Joy developed a comparable design. The inaugural locomotive, constructed in 1847 and named Jenny Lind, quickly gained acclaim. Although credit for the design is sometimes shared among Fenton, Joy, and Wilson, it is probable that Joy prepared the drawings while Fenton approved them and contributed boilers rated at 120psi. Over seventy units were manufactured, including twenty-four delivered to the Midland Railway.

Locomotive designs

In addition to the "Jennies," E. B. Wilson produced both 2-2-2 and 0-4-2 wheel arrangement locomotives, standardizing models while charging extra for customized versions as engine sizes increased. At The Great Exhibition of 1851, the company presented a double boiler tank engine. Their production also included pumping engines, passenger carriages, wagons, and they provided maintenance services for the Midland Railway due to Derby Works’ limited capacity. Furthermore, they constructed locomotives tailored to client specifications, including several examples of Crampton locomotives.

Closure

After manufacturing more than six hundred locomotives, the company ceased operations in 1858. The Railway Foundry was later revived in 1860 by W. S. Hudswell and John Clarke.

References

Lowe, J. W., (1989) British Steam Locomotive Builders, Guild Publishing

External links