Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
History
The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hudswell, Clarke and Rodgers. There was another change in 1881 to Hudswell, Clarke and Company. The firm became a limited company in 1899.
In 1862, soon after the company had been formed, they were given the initial design work on William Hamond Bartholomew's compartment boats for the Aire and Calder Navigation. The choice of the company may have been influenced by the fact that Bartholomew, the chief engineer of the Navigation, and William Clayton, one of the founders of Hudswell and Clarke, both lived on Spencer Place in Leeds. They produced at least one of the prototype Tom Pudding compartments, but did not get the main contract for their production once the design work had been done.
As steam locomotive builders, like many of the smaller builders they specialised in small contractor's and industrial tank engines, and rarely built anything bigger than an 0-6-0T. They never built any locomotives with superheaters.
The locomotive part of the business is now part of the Hunslet Engine Company. Locomotive-building was always only one part of a diverse product inventory that included underground diesel-powered mining locomotives, hydraulic pit-props and related mining equipment.
In 1911 Hudswell Clarke entered into an agreement with Robert Hudson for the manufacture of narrow gauge locomotives. This arrangement produced sixteen standardised designs, designated 'A' to 'Q', which ranged from four-coupled () 5 hp engines to six-coupled () 55 hp models. The designs were sufficiently flexible to allow for the various track gauges in use. Over the years, 188 locomotives were supplied to these designs.
In the 1930s the company manufactured narrow gauge steam outline diesel-hydraulic locomotives for use at amusement parks around the country. In 1931 Neptune was delivered to Scarborough North Bay Railway, followed a year later by Triton, both being gauge. In the same year they supplied a Robin Hood to Golden Acre Park in Leeds followed by a 4-6-2 May Thompson in 1933. They also supplied Mary Louise and Carol Jean to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for use on the gauge Pleasure Beach Express in 1933. A fire in 1934 badly damaged Carol Jean so Princess Royal was ordered as a replacement. They went on to build two more class locomotives, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose for Billy Butlin to use at the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow in 1938 which were then transferred to his holiday camp in Clacton when the exhibition closed.
In later years, Hudswell Clarke designed and built diesel locomotives for both main-line and private company use, mainly for use on shunting operations.
Surviving locomotives
Steam locomotives WorksNo. Year Type Wheelarrangement Gauge Company Name orNo. Location Notes 29718880-6-0Belambi Coal company NSW AustraliaSOUTH BULLI No2THNSW CHULLORA SYDNEYRecently acquired by THNSW and now stored undercover Chullora tank annex Sydney NSW 402 1893 Lord Mayor Keighley and Worth Valley Railway 431 1895 431 Chasewater Railway 496 1898 North Eton Mill 1 Privately owned near Numurkah, Victoria, Australia 4981899Østre Gasværk (Copenhagen, Denmark)Nr. 1 *Skildpadden
(The Turtle)*Nordsjællands Veterantog, Græsted, DenmarkPainted in red and black livery as delivered in 1899.4991899Østre Gasværk (Copenhagen, Denmark)Nr. 2Danmarks Tekniske Museum, Helsingør, DenmarkOn Static Display outside the museum. Can be seen on the corner of Støberivej and Industrivej. Is painted Black with Red Buffers. Is Technically identical to Nr.1 526 1899 Hawarden Middleton Railway Donated from Penrhyn Castle in 2024 and now on display in the railway's 'Engine House' museum. Painted in a black livery with red lining. 555 1900 Port Talbot Railway 26 Severn Valley Railway Later Great Western Railway No 813, Backworth Colliery No 12 and NCB (Backworth Colliery) No 11. Restored as GWR 813. 573 1900 Handyman Statfold Barn Railway Built for the ironstone quarry at Burton Latimer and moved to the Cranford Ironstone Co in 1921. Purchased by the Scaldwell Tramway in 1936, it last worked there in 1961. Purchased in 1964 by three W&LLR volunteers: Gerald Rainbow, David Plant and Bob Harris. They sold it to Alan Keef in 2004, who in turn sold it to the National Railway Museum in July 2008; transferred to Statfold 2021. Some cosmetic restoration undertaken. Currently in faded green but it is believed her original livery was grey with the name painted in red letters on the side tank. 639 1902 San Justo Privately owned by Peter Rampton 640 1902 Santa Ana Privately owned by Peter Rampton 646 1903 Wallaroo Phosphate Co, Australian Portland Cement 6 Bellarine Railway, Victoria, Australia 679 1903 Canal Manchester Ship Canal 31Hamburg Keighley & Worth Valley Railway 680 1903 Canal Manchester Ship Canal 32Gothenburg East Lancashire Railway 750 1906 14" cylinder, 20" stroke, 3' 3 1/2" wheels Skinner & Holford - Waleswood Colliery, Sheffield Waleswood Peak Rail Moved from the Chasewater Railway in early 2024 895 1909 Fife Coal Company 1026 1913 Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons No 31 Fawley Hill Railway, Buckinghamshire 1067 1914 Colonial Sugar Refinery Homebush Sucrogen Victoria Mill, Ingham Delivered to CSR Homebush Mill Mackay, loco number 6. Transferred to CSR Victoria Mill 1922, named Homebush. Preserved in working order 1978. 1152 1919 Guinness 3 Railway Preservation Society of Ireland 1223 1916 Vesta Bury Transport Museum Moved from the Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum in early 2024 1238 1916 Ashanti Goldfields Corporation No. 9 Moseley Railway Trust Delivered in 1916 to what is now Ghana for their forestry railway. Crashed into a swamp and killed the driver in 1948, recovered 1996, and returned to the UK in 2008 for restoration. The restoration progressed well and the loco was in steam again by mid 2014. 1243 1917 Port of London Authority Richboro Aln Valley Railway 1308 1918 Rhos Rocks by Rail 1309 1917 Henry de Lacy II Middleton Railway 1334 1918 Oxfordshire Ironstone Company Sir Thomas Buckinghamshire Railway Centre 1366 1919 Renishaw Iron Works No. 6 Tanfield Railway 1369 1919 Manchester Ship Canal 67 Middleton Railway 1375 1919 War Department Light Railways 3205 Preserved as Pejao at the CP museum at Santarem, Portugal order sub-contracted from Robert Hudson Ltd Worked on the Pejoa Colliery system in Portugal with five O&K locos: Fojo, Pedamoura, Choupelo, Pedorido, Sao Domingos 1423 1922 Corrimal Colliery (originally National Portland Cement Limited tramway, Tasmania) 'Hudson' Campbelltown Steam & Machinery Menangle, New South Wales 1435 1922 Nellie Bradford Industrial Museum 1450 1922 Gladiator Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Rebuilt as Thomas the Tank Engine with side tanks 1464 1921 Sweden Manchester Ship Canal 70 Swindon and Cricklade Railway 1539 1924 Derek Crouch Nene Valley Railway 1542 1924 Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. B10 Oamaru Steam and Rail Restoration Society, New Zealand 1544 1924 Slough Estates Ltd. No. 3 Middleton Railway Slough Estates Ltd, No.3 1555 1926 Goondi Mill 6 Allambi Private Railway, Strath Creek, Victoria, Australia 1559 1925 Pleystowe Mill 4 Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne, Australia 1582 1926 Rotorua Ngongotaha Railway, New Zealand 1631 1930 5 1632 1929 Patricia Bygones Museum, Torquay 1643 1930 Bronllwyd Statfold Barn Railway 1644 1930 Riga Sugar Mill, Bihar, India "Lilian" Rewari Steam Centre, India 1672 1937 Irwell Tanfield Railway 1682 1937 Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd, Chorley 1937–1946 British Sugar Corporation, Kelham, Newark, Nottinghamshire Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd No 12 54Julia Private Site, DerbyshireUnder restoration 1700 1938 Wissington North Norfolk Railway restored 7/2012 1704 1938 Nunlow Keighley & Worth Valley Railway 1706 1939 Victoria Mill Cairns Illawarra Light Railway Museum, Albion Park Rail, New South Wales, Australia 1709 1939 Slough Estates Ltd. No. 5 Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway 1731 1942 20Jennifer Aln Valley Railway 1737 1943 Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST Nederlandse Spoorwegen 8811 Stoomstichting Nederland,Rotterdam, Netherlands ex WD 5080 1742 1946 Millom Iron Works, Cumberland MILLOM Buckinghamshire Railway Centre 1776 1944 Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST National Coal Board Harry Horwich, Lancashire ex WD 1499 1782 1945 Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST War Department 118Brussels Keighley and Worth Valley Railway ex WD 1505 1800 1947 Thomas Nene Valley Railway Name given by creator Wilbert Awdry in 1971. 1821 1948 140 1822 1949 S100 Chasewater Railway 1823 1949 38 Tanfield Railway 1838 1950 Victoria Mill Sydney Privately owned, Mount Molloy, Queensland, Australia 1862 1952 Macknade Mill 6 Privately owned Mandalong Valley Tramway, Mandalong, New South Wales, Australia 1863 1925 Macknade Mill 9 Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne, Australia 1882 1955 Mirvale Middleton Railway 1884/55 1944 Newmarket Colliery, Wakefield Cathryn Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Converted by the National Coal Board (NCB) to a gas production system which entailed it being provided with an underfeed stoker. This also required the conversion of the chimney to a characteristic conical design that Cathryn now carries. The underfeed stoker has been removed and will not be refitted to the locomotive when the locomotive has been fully restored to working condition. 1885 1955 1 Alston Mid-Suffolk Light Railway 1664 1935 21 Anne Elizabeth Edaville Railroad, Carver, Massachusetts, USA
Diesel locomotives
Standard gauge () British Rail Class D2/7 (D1211 "Manton" at the National Coal Mining Museum for England in Overton) British Rail Class D2/12 (one preserved) D577/1932 Mary at Middleton Railway Southam (works no. D604) was outside the Great Western Country Pub and Restaurant, Bishop's Itchington, near Southam, Warwickshire in 2006 but has since left for an unknown destination Southam 2 (works no. D625) at Leeds Industrial Museum Mighty Atom (works no. D628) at Ribble Steam Railway Sparky (works no. D629) at Ribble Steam Railway Margaret (works no. D1031) at Ribble Steam Railway Cadbury No. 14 (works no. D1012) was at Cadbury World. Arrived at the Statfold Barn Railway in 2022, where it is to be cosmetically restored as a "gate guardian". Manchester Ship Canal 4001 Alnwick Castle (works no. D1075 of 1958) at Winfield's Store, Haslingden, Lancs Manchester Ship Canal 4002 Arundel Castle (works no. D1076 of 1958) at East Lancs Railway D631/1946 Carroll at Middleton Railway D707 No. 21 at the Rutland Railway Elland No.1 (works no. D1153) at Mangapps Railway Museum, Burnham-on-CrouchPhoto of Elland No.1
gauge Eight 145HP, 20 ton locomotives, and twenty-four 225HP, 29 ton locomotives, for the Sierra Leone Government Railway, supplied between 1954 and 1961. (not necessarily preserved)
gauge No. D558 (built 1930) at the Moseley Railway Trust at their Apedale Valley Light Railway No. D564 (built 1930) at the Phyllis Rampton Trust
Steam-outline diesel locomotives gauge Neptune (1931), Scarborough North Bay Railway Triton (1932), Scarborough North Bay Railway Robin Hood (1932), Scarborough North Bay Railway Poseidon (1933), Scarborough North Bay Railway
gauge Mary Louise (1933), Pleasure Beach Express, Blackpool Carol Jean (1933), Pleasure Beach Express, Blackpool Geoffrey Thompson OBE (1934), Pleasure Beach Express, Blackpool Princess Elizabeth (1938), Midland Railway - Butterley undergoing restoration. Princess Margaret Rose (1938), Midland Railway - Butterley
Military engineering