Leeds Forge Company

Leeds Forge Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Engineering, Manufacturing
Founded	1874 (1874)
Founder	Samson Fox
Defunct	1929 (1929)
Headquarters	Leeds , England
Products	Corrugated furnaces for marine boilers, pressed steel railway rolling stock, electric carriages, railway locomotives

The Leeds Forge Company was renowned for producing corrugated furnaces designed for marine steam engine boilers as well as pressed steel railway rolling stock.

Early history

Established in 1874 in Leeds by Samson Fox, who was born in 1838 in Bradford, Yorkshire, the company began by manufacturing locomotive crank pins and axles through hammer forging techniques. Fox, having apprenticed at Smith, Beacock and Tannett of Victoria Foundry in Leeds, obtained crucial financial backing from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company based in Greenock, a prominent shipbuilder on the Firth of Clyde. This support enabled the foundation of Leeds Forge at Castleton Field, Armley, Leeds.

The Corrugated Furnace

In 1877, Fox secured a patent for the Corrugated Furnace—a tube made from iron (later steel) featuring corrugations to increase surface area, thereby improving heat transfer and enhancing resistance to boiler pressure. The initial order was placed by James Humphreys of Barrow-in-Furness for six furnaces, each measuring diameter by length. By 1880, Leeds Forge had obtained patents in the United States and began fulfilling orders for American vessels; that same year, the German company Schulz, Knaudt of Essen commenced licensed manufacturing. Leeds Forge refused licensing requests from rivals such as Taylor Bros, Clarence Ironworks, Leeds, and John Brown & Company. In 1898, Fox introduced a rolling technique that significantly enhanced commercial viability, leading to widespread adoption of these furnaces on ships throughout the UK and the United States.

Pressed Steel Railway Vehicles

Following the success of the corrugated furnace, Fox expanded into other product lines, showcasing in 1887 his flanged frame plate designed for railway rolling stock. Unlike traditional rolling stock that relied on heavy timber frames and superstructures—resulting in high tractive effort demands on locomotives—pressed steel rolling stock utilized lightweight flanged steel with comparable structural integrity but substantially reduced weight. This manufacturing process employed male and female dies within a hydraulic press, drastically cutting down labor compared to conventional hand-assembled timber cars. Fox collaborated with E R Calthrop, who advocated for pressed steel rolling stock on his narrow gauge railways, including the Barsi Light Railway.

The American market demonstrated considerable enthusiasm, prompting the creation of the Fox Solid Pressed Steel company in 1889 at Joliet, Illinois near Chicago. Clem Hackney, previously associated with Union Pacific Railroad, took on the role of general manager. By 1893, this facility employed 400 workers producing approximately 80 tramcars and freight cars daily. A larger manufacturing plant was inaugurated in Pittsburgh in 1896. In 1899, Fox divested the U.S. operations to Charles T. Schoen who established the Pressed Steel Car Company. This enterprise continued until its acquisition by Cammell Laird in 1923, which subsequently led to the closure of the Armley works in 1929.

Leeds Forge successfully defended a patent infringement case against R.H.Clayton & Sons Ltd concerning an enhanced boiler flue design. In 1924, Leeds Forge manufactured 50 electric carriages for the New South Wales Government Railways, Australia. These carriage bodies were shipped as knock-down kits and assembled locally at both Eveleigh Railway Workshops and Clyde Engineering. These represented Australia's first all-steel passenger carriages. Earlier, in 1922, Leeds Forge supplied all-steel sleeping cars for luxury trains operating between Calais and the French Riviera.

Railway Locomotives

In 1928, Leeds Forge manufactured a trio of electric hopper cars with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement for English Electric, which were delivered to British Portland Cement located in Greenhithe, Kent.

See also

• List of rolling stock manufacturers
• Internally rifled boiler tubes

External links

• Pressed Steel Car Co
• The Engineer 1887 06 10