Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.

Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.

Industry	Engineering
Predecessor(s)	Barclays & Co.
Successor(s)	Hunslet-Barclay (1972) Brush-Barclay (2007) Wabtec Rail Scotland (2011)
Founded	1892
Headquarters	Kilmarnock, Scotland
Products	Locomotives

Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. was a builder of steam and later fireless and diesel locomotives. The company's history dates to foundation of an engineering workshop in 1840 in Kilmarnock, Scotland.

After a long period of operation the company was acquired by the Hunslet group in 1972 and renamed Hunslet-Barclay; in 2007 the company changed hands after banckrupcy becoming Brush-Barclay as part of the FKI Group. In 2011 Brush Traction and Brush-Barclay were acquired from FKI by Wabtec - as of 2012 the company still operates in Kilmarock providing rail engineering services as Wabtec Rail Scotland.

History

Born in 1814, Andrew Barclay was only 25 years of age when he set up a partnership with Thomas McCulloch in the manufacturer of mill shafts in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It was only a couple of years later that he branched out on his own in the manufacture of his patented gas lamps. In 1847 he set up workshops specializing in the manufacture of winding engines for the local coal mining industry, however the money from the gas lamp patent sale was never paid and the company and sequestration came the following year.

By 1859 Barclay recovered from this setback and his newly formed company produced its first locomotive. Sometime around 1871 Andrew Barclay set up a second locomotive building business which was known as Barclays & Co., for his younger brother, John, and his four sons, this business remaining closely associated with that of Andrew Barclay. Again not all went well and the companies were declared bankrupt in 1874 and 1882 respectively. Four years after this last collapse Andrew Barclay’s business was relaunched as Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., Barclays & Co was being revived. Problems were not over, however, but in 1892 the firm took on limited liability as Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., Ltd. Just two years later Andrew was removed from control of the company which bore his name by its shareholders. Barclay sued the company for unpaid wages, a matter which was settled out of court 5 years later.

In 1930 the company bought the business of John Cochrane (Barrhead) Ltd, engine makers and in 1963 it acquired the goodwill of the North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow.

Hunslet-Barclay

In 1972 the company was acquired by the Leeds-based Hunslet Group of companies and its name was changed in 1989 to Hunslet-Barclay Ltd. As such, it operated six ex-British Rail Class 20 diesels on weedkilling trains over the national rail network. The locomotive interests of Hunslet-Barclay were bought by LH Group, Staffordshire, 31 December 2003, with Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock continuing in the business of design, manufacture and refurbishment of multiple units, rolling stock, bogies and wheelsets.

Some Barclay locomotives were supplied through Lennox Lange, who acted as an agent for Barclay.^{[citation needed]}

Brush-Barclay

After going into financial administration in 2007 the company was acquired by the loco builder Brush Traction of Loughborough via its parent FKI Group. and was re-named Brush-Barclay.

Wabtec Rail Scotland

On 28 February 2011, Wabtec announced that it had acquired Brush Traction for US$31 million. The Kilmarnock works became Wabtec Rail Scotland.

Products

A brass makers plate from an 0-4-0 Andrew Barclay locomotive of 1925 which worked at a Mauchline colliery in Scotland

Saddle tanks

The company was noted for constructing simple robust locomotives, chiefly for industrial use, and many of its products survive in use on heritage railways, over 100 in Britain. A typical product would be an 0-4-0 with squared-off saddle tank.

Fireless locomotives

Barclay was the largest builder of fireless locomotives in Britain, building 114 of them between 1913 and 1961. Few fireless locomotives are seen in action today. This is due to the low power of the locomotives, the long time needed to charge a locomotive from cold and the low steam pressures available for charging. Perhaps the only exception was "Lord Ashfield" (Andrew Barclay works no. 1989 of 1930) at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester that ran for a while in the 1990s sharing a steam supply with the stationary exhibits in their exhibition hall.

Diesel locomotives

The company built diesel shunting locomotives for industry and for British Rail. Classes included British Rail Class D2/5, British Rail Class 01 and British Rail Class 06.

Export

Over 80 Andrew Barclay locomotives were supplied to railways in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Steel Company of Wales No. 206   "Doll" built in 1919, a Barclay at Leighton buzzard narrow gauge railway   "Nora No.5" built in 1912 for the National Coal Board, shown here at the Big Pit in Wales   Ex-military Barclay diesel locomotive at the West Somerset Railway   Preserved no. 446 'Kingswood' at Bitton railway station   Little Barford, built in 1939 taken at the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway   Preserved 0-6-0 fireless steam locomotive, South of Scotland Electricity Board, No. 1

See also

• Grant, Ritchie and Company - In 1876, there was a disastrous fire at Andrew Barclay’s Caledonia works in Kilmarnock. At this point, two employees Thomas Grant and William Ritchie, set up Grant, Ritchie and Company at Townholme Engine Works, Kilmarnock to manufacture steam locomotives.

Further reading

• Wear, Russell (1990). Barclay 150: a brief history of Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co. Ltd. and Hunslet-Barclay Ltd., Kilmarnock from 1840 to 1990. Kilmarnock: Hunslet-Barclay. 
• Wear, Russell (1977). The Locomotive Builders of Kilmarnock. Industrial Railway Society. 

External links

• Fireless Locomotives
• No.1578 Gertrude