Rothwell, Hick and Rothwell
| General Partnership | |
| Industry | Engineering Heavy industry |
| Predecessor | Smalley, Thwaites & Co. |
| Successor | Rothwell, Hick & Co. Rothwell & Co. Bolton Iron and Steel Co. Henry Bessemer & Co. |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Founder | Peter Rothwell |
| Defunct | 1864 |
| Headquarters | Union Foundry, Black Horse Street, Bolton, United Kingdom |
|
Key people
|
Benjamin Hick Peter Rothwell Jr. Benjamin Cubitt |
Rothwell, Hick and Rothwell was an engineering company in Bolton, England. Set up in 1822, the partners became interested in the production of steam locomotives after the Rainhill Trials. The first engine was Union a 2-2-0 for the Bolton and Leigh Railway, followed by three more the following year for American railways.
Contents
Rothwell and Company
In 1832, Benjamin Hick left to set up his own business, B. Hick and Sons, to be replaced by Benjamin Cubitt, (younger brother of William Cubitt) from Fenton, Murray and Jackson. The firm then became Rothwell and Company. A further order for America was fulfilled in 1833, then for a couple of years the firm was occupied with pumps and stationary engines.
Locomotives
| Peter Rothwell Jr | |
|---|---|
| File:Peter Rothwell Jr.jpg
by Unknown artist
|
|
| Born | 1793 |
| Died | 1849 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Civil and Mechanical engineer |
| Known for | Steam engines Locomotives Art collector |
1830s
From 1836 steam locomotives became their main business. Up to 1840 they produced 56, 28 of which went abroad. Of note is a 4-2-0 for the South Carolina Railroad to the design of Horatio Allen. This had 4-foot-6-inch (1.37 m) drivers, with a swivelling front bogie, and reputed to have worked for 35 years. A deal of sub-contract work came from Edward Bury and Company.
1840s
From 1841, the company began a batch of engines for the broad gauge Great Western Railway. The largest order came in 1847 for 28 2-2-2 engines for the London and South Western Railway.
1850s
Possibly the most remarkable were some 4-2-4 T engines for the Bristol and Exeter Railway built in 1853/4 with 9-foot-diameter (2.7 m) unflanged driving wheels, and two ball-and-socket swivelled bogies. They weighed 42 tons and achieved speeds of 82 mph, the fastest engines of the time.
The quality of the company's products brought in repeat orders. Many of the engines were still in service twenty years later. From 1857 the engines were to Alexander Allan's design and were similar to the Old Crewe type. These were sold to the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway and the Eastern Counties Railway.
The last to be built were four broad gauge engines for the Bristol and Exeter Railway and two saddle tanks for the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway.
Closure
In the face of reduced business and increasing competition, the company closed in 1864. Part of the works was taken over by the Bolton Iron and Steel Company, which was later absorbed by Henry Bessemer and Company in 1906.
See also
- Samuel Crompton
- Pontchartrain Railroad
- List of Saxon locomotives and railcars
- List of Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotives
- GWR Leo Class
- Abbey Mills Pumping Station
- W & J Galloway & Sons
References
- Lowe, J.W., (1989) British Steam Locomotive Builders, Guild Publishing
External links
- Internet Archive Rothwell, Hick and Rothwell Low Pressure engine, p.741-743
- Use dmy dates from February 2015
- Use British English from February 2015
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters
- Infobox person using religion
- Articles with hCards
- Locomotive manufacturers of the United Kingdom
- Companies established in 1822
- 1864 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
- History of Bolton
- Companies disestablished in the 1860s
- Companies based in Bolton
- 1822 establishments in the United Kingdom
