Jump to content

Kitson and Company

From Alfawiki
Kitson and Company
Company typePrivate
IndustryLocomotive manufacturing
Founded1835
FounderJames Kitson
Defunct1938
FateAcquired by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns; ceased locomotive manufacturing
Headquarters
Hunslet, Leeds
,
England, United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom, international (India, Russia, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Rhodesia, Jamaica)
ProductsSteam locomotives, steam tram engines, railmotor vehicles

Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing firm located in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Early history

Established in 1835 by James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry in Hunslet, with Charles Todd as a partner, the enterprise initially specialized in producing components for other manufacturers. In 1838, David Laird became involved, and the business operated under the name Todd, Kitson and Laird, delivering its first complete locomotives to the North Midland Railway and Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Shortly afterward, Todd departed to establish Shepherd and Todd at the Railway Foundry, resulting in company titles such as Kitson and Laird or Laird and Kitson.

Among their early significant projects was an order of six locomotives for Liverpool and Manchester, which included the Lion, now preserved at the Museum of Liverpool. By 1842, Laird withdrew due to unsatisfactory financial returns; Kitson then formed a partnership with Isaac Thompson and William Hewitson, creating Kitson Thompson and Hewitson. The firm showcased an early tank locomotive at the 1851 Great Exhibition, earning a gold medal for its innovation. Following Thompson’s exit in 1858, the company became Kitson and Hewitson, and after Hewitson's death in 1863, it was renamed Kitson and Company.

Over a century-long span, Kitson manufactured roughly 5,400 locomotives serving British railways such as the Midland Railway, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and South Eastern Railway, along with numerous international customers. Beginning in 1855, Indian railways emerged as prominent clients.

Starting in 1866, Kitson produced numerous double-framed goods engines designed by Matthew Kirtley for the Midland Railway and commenced locomotive exports to Russia from 1869. Prior to 1884, engineer Charles Algernon Parsons worked at Kitson's on rocket-powered torpedoes before inventing the steam turbine. In 1886, Kitson's collaborated with their agent E. Jeffreys to develop five standardized locomotive classes for Victorian Railways in Australia; two units were constructed in Leeds and displayed at Melbourne's 1888 Centennial Exhibition where they received First Order of Merit honors. These designs significantly influenced Victorian Railways’ fleet for many years.

Between 1889 and 1891, Kitson supplied a substantial order of early British-style 4-6-0 locomotives to Argentina's Cordoba Railway. From 1876 until 1901, the company also produced over 300 steam tram engines and railmotor vehicles based on designs by W. R. Rowan.

Kitson-Meyer

A notable development was an articulated locomotive concept inspired by Robert Stirling’s adaptation of the Meyer design, later termed the Kitson-Meyer. The initial three units were built in 1894 for the Anglo-Chilean Nitrate & Railway Company in Chile; subsequent batches included two locomotives for Rhodesia in 1903 and three for Jamaica in 1904. More than fifty of these locomotives were constructed over time, including specialized models for rack railway operations in the Andes mountains—two of which remain preserved in Chile and one in Argentina.

Later history and closure

Kitsons maintained active production during World War I but experienced a downturn throughout the 1920s. The experimental Kitson-Still steam-diesel hybrid locomotive underwent trials on the London and North Eastern Railway route between York and Hull while hauling revenue services. Nevertheless, insufficient capital prevented further commercial development; high research and development expenses contributed to the firm's decline.

In 1922, Kitsons delivered six K class locomotives to Palestine Railways designed to handle steep gradients between Lydda (Lod) and Jerusalem.

The final significant order arrived in 1924 for twelve Improved Director class locomotives for the London and North Eastern Railway. The company entered receivership in 1934 but continued operations under this status until restructuring occurred in 1937. Locomotive manufacturing ceased in 1938 when Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns acquired patterns, drawings, and goodwill from Kitsons. The firm persisted as a component supplier until 1945 when its remaining assets were sold to J&H McLaren & Co.

Preservation

A number of Kitson locomotives have been retained and preserved, including the following:

Steam

  • Austin 1 – Currently operational on the Somerset & Dorset Railway located in Somerset, South-West England; owned by the Llangollen Railway Trust, with its most recent overhaul completed in March 2020.
  • Kitson No. 3 – Kept in storage at the Dorrigo Steam Railway in New South Wales, Australia.
  • Kitson No. 5 – Exhibited as a static display on the North Tyneside Steam Railway in Tyne & Wear, North East England.
  • Kitson Nos. 9 and 10 – Stored at Richmond Vale Heritage Park, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Kitson No. 20N ('The Buck') – Presented at Newcastle Museum in New South Wales, Australia.
  • Kitson Nos. 21/23 – Displayed at the Richmond Vale Railway Museum in New South Wales, Australia.
  • Kitson No. 29 – Running on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in Northern England; underwent its latest overhaul in July 2019.
  • Kitson No. 44 Conway – Shown as a static exhibit at the Middleton Railway in Leeds, Northern England.
  • Kitson No. 45 Colwyn – Preserved and kept at Tysley.
  • Kitson No. 47 Carnarvon – Awaiting restoration at the South Devon Railway in Devon, South West England.
  • Kitson No. 1338 – Presented as a static display at the Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire.
  • Kitson No. 3591 – Exhibited statically at Harris Promenade, San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago.
  • Kitson Tram Nos. 1 and 2 – Preserved respectively at the Streetlife Museum of Transport in Hull and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra, Northern Ireland.
  • Kitson Tram No. 7 – Maintained in operational condition at the Tramway Historical Society in Ferrymead, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Bibliography

  • Lowe, J.W., (1989) British Steam Locomotive Builders, Guild Publishing
  • Binns, Donald (2003) Kitson Meyer Articulated Locomotives Trackside Publications
  • Pease, John (2003) The History of J. & H. McLaren of Leeds: Steam & Diesel Engine Makers Landmark Collector's Library

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Kitson_and_Company&oldid=89323"