The North British Locomotive Company of Scotland (NBL or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow companies, Sharp Stewart, Neilson and Company and Dübs and Company, creating the largest locomotive building company in Europe. Its main factories were located at the neighbouring Atlas and Hyde Park Works in central Springburn. The new central Administration Block and Drawing Offices for the combined company were completed across the road from the Hyde Park Works in 1909 and is today the main campus of North Glasgow College. In 1918 the factory produced the first prototype of the Anglo-American Mark VIII battlefield tank for the Allied armies, but with the Armistice it did not go into production. The two other Railway works in Springburn were St. Rollox railway works, owned by the Caledonian Railway and Cowlairs railway works, owned by the North British Railway.

Mainline Steam New Zealand locomotive, North British J 1211. Photo by Joseph Christianson

Steam locomotives

NBL built steam locomotives for countries as far afield as Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand. The Colony of New South Wales purchased numerous North British locomotives, as did the State of Victoria as late as 1951 (Oberg, Locomotives of Australia). In 1939 NB supplied 40 J class to the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR); some of which were later converted to J^B class oilburners and some to J^A class. In 1951 NB supplied another 16 J^A class, though these did not have the American-style streamlining of the J class. Together with the NB predecessor firms, North British supplied about a quarter of the steam locomotives used by the NZR.

In 1949 South Africa purchased over 100 engines from the company in the 2-8-4 layout and these became the Class 24; some operated tourist trains on the George-Knysna line until 2000. Additionally South Africa also purchased some of its Class 25, 4-8-4 engines from the company between 1953-55. These successful engines with various in-service modifications survived until the end of steam in South Africa in 1992. NB also introduced the Modified Fairlie locomotive in 1924. In total South Africa purchased over 2000 locomotives from the North British Locomotive Company.

Locomotives made for Britain included the LMS Stanier Class 8F, the LMS Jubilee Class, and the LSWR N15 class, the Scotch Arthurs.

Diesel locomotives

North British Class 22, D6343, with Hymek D7072 at Old Oak Common, 1965.

Electric locomotives

Preserved North British AL4 / Class 84 84001, ex-E3036, on display at Crewe Works in 2005.

Decline

Perhaps unwisely, North British supplied many of its diesel and electric locomotives to BR at a loss, hoping to make up for this on massive future orders that never came. This and the continuing stream of warranty claims to cure design and workmanship faults proved fatal - North British declared bankruptcy on April 19 1962. Because of the unreliability of its UK diesel and electric locomotives, all were withdrawn after comparatively short lifespans.

Preservation

• • Several industrial shunters have been preserved, including number 27654 by the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway. A number of steam locomotives still exist in Australia, including, some operational Victorian Railways R class 4-6-4 engines, several Dübs engines and Pmr Class 4-6-2 locomotives of Western Australia, a Rx Class engine in South Australia.

• • Several older Sharp Stewart, Dubs and Neilson locomotives have also been preserved in New Zealand, the most famous being Neilson-built F13 and Dubs-built F163.
  • Three steam locomotives of NZR 4-8-2 classes J, J^A, and J^B are preserved by Mainline Steam.
  • Steam Incorporated in Paekakariki, New Zealand have a J
  • Glenbrook Vintage Railway outside Auckland has an A^B class Pacific built by North British.

• • A 2-8-4 SAR Class 24, No. 3664 (North British build no. 26386/49), affectionately called Jo-Anna, still does regular tourist trips in and around Pretoria ^[1]
  • The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe uses the Class 24

• • The only surviving North British main-line diesel or electric locomotive is Class 84 84001.
  • A gauge North British 4-6-2 steam locomotive is preserved at the Phyllis Rampton Trust in Surrey, England.

References

• Reed, Brian (1974):Diesel Hydraulic Locomotives of the Western Region. David and Charles (London) ISBN 0-7153-6769-2
• Oberg, Leon. Locomotives of Australia, Reed, Sydney, 1975.
• ARHS, A Century Plus of Locomotives: New South Wales Railways 1855-1965, Sydney, 1965.

See also

• Category:NBL locomotives

External links

• "The AC Locomotive Group (caring for Class 84 84001)"

• "Mainline Steam" of New Zealand (caring for NZR J 1211 & JB 1236

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