RSH Four Wheel Steam Locos

The information, photos & text in this post have been kindly supplied by Eric Maxwell.

Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns was a combine between Hawthorn Leslie of Forth Banks, Newcastle and Robert Stephenson of Darlington.   The new name was registered on the 10th of July 1937 with the chairman being Edward C Straker, who had been the chairman of Hawthorn Leslie from 1921.   Darlington became the works where the larger locos were built and the smaller and industrial locos were Newcastle’s main output.   Hawthorn Leslie remained in business building ships and their engines.

The Newcastle works was in use until 1961 and Darlington until 1964.   The business continued in Lancashire.

A brochure from the late 1940s illustrating the wide
range of locomotives available for home & abroad

RSH built 788 steam locos between 1937 and 1962, 501 at the Newcastle works and 287 at the Darlington works.   On this occasion, we look at the 182 four-wheeled steam locos that were built at the two works. 157 were made in Newcastle and 25 in Darlington, all to designs of Hawthorn Leslie origin.

RSH advert from the 1950s featuring a four-wheeled fireless loco

Two 10 inch locos were built, WESTERN PRIDE was delivered by rail. Seen in 1954 at the Central Station in Newcastle with the RSH works in the background.   The other loco, BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE, can be seen today at Didcot.

(photo IA Davidson)

T P RIDLEY, one of the twenty three 12 inch locos built, is seen at the Elswick gas work of the Northern Gas Board, in Newcastle in 1968.   Three are preserved and two be seen on preservation sites at Chatham and Marley Hill.

(photo Eric Maxwell)

Two of the three 14 inch locos working at Stella South Power Station at Blaydon in 1968. Several 14 inch RSH locos from the electricity industry have survived.   They can be seen at Manchester, Marley Hill, Preston and Southall.

(photo Eric Maxwell)

Three 15 inch locos were supplied to the NCB’s Lambton system in County Durham.   15 inch locos had been used at the Lambton Staiths in Sunderland and at Philadelphia sheds since Victorian times and the practice continued to the end of steam.    No.38 is seen working at Sunderland, the rounded cab roof was needed to pass through a tunnel into the staith’s area.

(photographer unknown)

The largest four-wheeled locos were the 16 inch cylindered ones and were also the largest group built in the RSH period.   No.8 is being delivered in 1947 by road to one of the Associated Portland Cement works in Kent, a lengthy 300 mile journey on the roads of that time.   Locos of this group can be seen today, at Embsay and Ruddington.

(photo RSH)

No.35 was one of two fireless locos built in the 1950s for the large North Thames Gas Board’s Beckton gasworks in east London.   They were in use up to 1970 when North Sea gas brought an end to these large establishments.

(photo RC Riley)

SOUTHWICK was one of four crane locos bought by Doxford, the Sunderland shipbuilder, in 1940.   They were in use until 1970 and were all eventually preserved.   Their homes are now at Beamish, Bressingham, Ingrow and Marley Hill.

(photo Ted Hughes)

The information, photos & text in this post have been kindly supplied by Eric Maxwell.