Dick, Kerr and Company was a

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

and

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

car manufacturer based in

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and Preston,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Early history

W.B. Dick and Company was founded in 1854 in Glasgow by William Bruce Dick. The company were initially oil refiners and manufacturers of paint used for coating the bottom of ships. They had depots and works in Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Barrow-in-Furness, Cardiff and Hamburg by 1890. From 1883 the company joined with John Kerr and under its new name, expanded into

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

, supplying

way equipment and rolling stock and built around fifty locomotives up to 1919. In 1885 Dick, Kerr and Co. started construction of 6 steam launches at its Britannia Works, Kilmarnock. In 1888 it produced the 'Griffin'

gas engine A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on a gaseous fuel, such as coal gas, producer gas, biogas, landfill gas or natural gas. In the United Kingdom, the term is unambiguous. In the United States, due to the widespread use of ...

which is described and illustrated in The Engineer. This 6-stroke engine was devised to get around Otto's patent of the 4-stroke cycle. By 1892 Dick, Kerr was producing gas engines in a wide range of sizes using the Otto principle, both single and double acting. In 1890 it took limited company status, as railway and tramway appliance makers and as iron and steel founders and electricians. There was a public offer of shares to acquire the engineering and contracting company of the same name –reasons given were the advancing years of the senior partner and the need for investment to expand the works at Kilmarnock including a modern iron and steel foundry. Until the late 1890s the company had largely produced steam

tram engine A tram engine is a steam locomotive specially built, or modified, to run on a street, or roadside, tramway track. Legal requirements In the steam locomotive era, tram engines had to comply with certain legal requirements, although these varie ...

s, but in 1888 they bought the assets of the Patent Cable Tramways Corporation (including the Highgate Cable Tramway) and in 1892 they built the Brixton Cable Tramway for the London Tramways Company. They built other cable tramways in Douglas, Matlock and two in Edinburgh, but while cable tramways overcame problems where horse tramways struggled with hills, it was the electric tramway that came to dominate, and Dick Kerr became one of the largest manufacturers of electric tramway cars. The company facilities in Preston, Lancashire, were acquired in 1893 along with the railway and tramway plant activities of Hartley, Arnoux and Fanning which had been bought from

Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent, England. History It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as "James Kerr & Company", and became "Kerr, Stuart & Company" from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a ...

and Company. Dick Kerr controls on a Glasgow tram

The company was registered on 24 August 1899, as a reconstruction of a company of the same name, to take over a business of engineers and contractors. In 1899 the "English Electric Manufacturing Co." was incorporated as a public company, for purpose of manufacturing, at its own new works at Preston, every variety of electrical machinery, particularly for use by railways and tramways. In 1900 it was an exhibitor at the

First International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibition The First International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibition was held in the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington, London from 30 June 1900 – 11 July 1900. The International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibition was promoted by "The Tramway ...

in London. In 1902 the bulk of the capital of the English Electric Manufacturing Co was acquired, and the capital of that company largely increased, which gave Dick, Kerr and Co a factory at Preston. In the same year, the company was a major exhibitor at the

Second International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibition The Second International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibition was held in the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington, London from 1 July 1902 - 12 July 1902 It was a successor event to the First International Tramways and Light Railways Exhibiti ...

in London. In 1904 Dick, Kerr and Co. were contractors for the

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...

's electrification. From 1904 to 1912, the company supplied first generation tram cars to

Hong Kong Tramways Hong Kong Tramways (HKT) is a narrow-gauge tram system in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by RATP Dev Transdev Asia, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, with a branch circulating through Happy Valley. ...

. The 60 single deck cars were retired in 1935. In 1910 they began construction of steam turbines under the Bergmann patents, and one year later built a lamp factory at Preston, to make metal filament lamps. Dick, Kerr supplied the Municipal Council of Sydney with eleven alternators for its Sydney Electric Lighting Station between 1904 and 1914.

The First World War

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the company was converted to a munitions factory. The company also made aircraft, to designs from the

Seaplane Experimental Station The Seaplane Experimental Station, formerly RNAS Felixstowe, was a British aircraft design unit during the early part of the 20th century. Creation During June 1912, surveys began for a suitable site for a base for Naval hydro-aeroplanes, with ...

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London. His ...

. They also produced 100 petrol-electric locomotives for the

War Department Light Railways The War Department Light Railways were a system of narrow gauge trench railways run by the British War Department in World War I. Light railways made an important contribution to the Allied war effort in the First World War, and were used for the ...

. These locomotives weighed 7 tons and had a 45 hp

Dorman Dorman is a surname, derived from the Middle English word ''dere'', or ''deor'', meant "wild animal". Therefore, Dorman translates as "wild animal", or, perhaps, "wild animal-man". Another, Old English, derivation is from the Old English word ''deo ...

4JO four-cylinder petrol engine driving a 30 kW DC generator at 1000 rpm. This supplied current at up to 500 volts to 2 traction-motors driving the 32 inch wheels via a 6.68:1 reduction gear. The motors had an hourly rating of 25 hp, allowing the locomotive to haul 100tons at 5.2 mph. The two motors were run in parallel, with speed control by altering the generator voltage, and either motor could be cut out in event of a failure. The generator also offered electric starting of the petrol engine by connecting to another locomotive, and the locomotives could also be used as mobile generators. In a parallel order 100 similarly rated locomotives were made by

British Westinghouse British Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company was a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh, USA based Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. British Westinghouse would become a subsidiary of Metropolitan-Vickers in 1919; and after Metr ...

, who were probably the original designers, though the DC generator/DC motor speed control mechanism is an early example of the application of a

Ward Leonard control Ward Leonard control, also known as the Ward Leonard drive system, was a widely used DC motor speed control system introduced by Harry Ward Leonard in 1891. In the early 1900s, the control system of Ward Leonard was adopted by the U.S. Navy and a ...

system (

Harry Ward Leonard Harry Ward Leonard (February 8, 1861 – February 18, 1915) was an American electrical engineer and inventor. He is best known for his invention, the Ward Leonard motor control system. Equipment based on this invention remained in service in ...

patented its application to vehicles in 1903). The selection of this drive system was in part because the War Department had originally considered using overhead electric as an alternative way of powering the locomotives, but it was subsequently decided this was not practical. Dick, Kerr supplied the New South Wales Railways and Tramways (NSWR&T) with 25 cycle alternators for use in

Ultimo Power Station The Ultimo Power Station, or Ultimo Powerhouse, was an electricity generating plant located in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Ultimo, New South Wales. Commissioned in 1899, it was the first major power station in Sydney and was originally built ...

and

White Bay Power Station The White Bay Power Station is a heritage listed former coal-fired power station on a site in White Bay, in the suburb of Rozelle, from Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The remains of the plant can be clearly seen at the western end of ...

, which were commissioned from 1913 to 1918. In 1917, they acquired the

United Electric Car Company The United Electric Car Company was a tramcar manufacturer from 1905 to 1917 in Preston, Lancashire, England. History The Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works was formed in 1897 registered on 25 April 1898 to acquire works at Preston, ...

of Preston.

Post War

Towards the end of the war the company took steps to change from a war footing to a peacetime one, which included the takeover of Willans and Robsinson, and the United Electric Car Company, which were completed by November 1918 - they had also cemented an alliance with Siemens Brothers & Co Ltd, and established companies in France and Japan in connection with railway and tramway products. Seeking new and well equipped engineering capability they had reached an agreement with Coventry Ordnance Works Ltd. In 1919, the Britannia works in Kilmarnock was sold to the Kilmarnock Engineering Company, who according to their 1925 advert produced steam, electric and petrol locomotives as well as mining gear, rails, points, crossings, and rolling stock. Although they were in production until at least the mid-1930s, few if any of their locomotives and other products survive. At the same time as Kilmarnock Engineering Co took over the Britannia Works, Dick, Kerr & Co was merged into a new combine named the

English Electric N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail) The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...

Company Ltd, which as a result held Dick Kerr, the

Coventry Ordnance Works Coventry Ordnance Works was a British manufacturer of heavy guns particularly naval artillery jointly owned by Cammell Laird & Co of Sheffield and Birkenhead, Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Glasgow and John Brown & Compa ...

, the Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company, the

and

Willans & Robinson Willans & Robinson Limited manufacturing engineers of Thames Ditton, Surrey. Later, from 1896, at Victoria Works, Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were manufacturers of stationary reciprocating steam engines then steam turbines, Diesel motors and ...

Ltd. In November 1919, English Electric bought the

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

works of Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works Ltd. The absorbed companies retained much of their original structure, and the English Electric Company advertised itself in 1920 as a specialised manufacturer of electrical machinery at : *Dick Kerr Works, Preston *Ordnance Works, Coventry *Phoenix Works, Bradford *Siemens Works, Stafford *Willans Works, Rugby The Dick Kerr name was kept for the works in Preston until well into the 1950s.

Surving Dick, Kerr & Co Products

Locomotives

Dick Kerr locomotives known to have survived: * gauge from 1917 at the Tacot de Lac

* gauge from 1918 at a private location in Surrey, UK * gauge "Gresham" of 1910 (Builder's Number unknown), ex Marian Mill #3, Queensland, plinthed in Pioneer Shire Council Park, Seaforth 1964. Now privately owned and stored at Echuca, Victoria pending restoration * gauge "Valdora" of 1893 (Builder's Number unknown), Racecourse Mill then to Moreton Mill in 1937, Queensland. Plinthed 1964 - on display at Nambour, Queensland * gauge MTR No.2 of 1910 (Builder's Number unknown), built for the Karachi Port Trust, then worked at the Marala Timber Depot (1917-1922) before finally coming to the Creosating Plant at Dilwan on the Northern Railway of India. The locomotive was modified by the Amritsar Workshops in 2000 and is now preserved in non-working order at the

National Rail Museum, New Delhi The National Rail Museum in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, displays exhibits on the history of rail transport in India. The museum was inaugurated on 1 February 1977. The museum spans over an area of over 11 acres and the indoor gallery compris ...

* gauge MTR No.1 of 1910 (Builder's Number unknown), presumably also built for the Karachi Port Trust, then worked at the Marala Timber Depot before finally coming to the Northern Railway of India. The locomotive was renovated by the Amritsar Workshops in September 1990 and is now plinthed at the entrance to the General Manager's Office of the Northern Railway of India, Baroda House, New Delhi.

Trams

Dick, Kerr trams known to have survived: * Electric Tram 19 – Built in circa 1901. This narrow-gauge open-top double-decker tram, probably ran on the Dudley-Stourbridge route. Stored at the

Black Country Living Museum The Black Country Living Museum (formerly the Black Country Museum) is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings in Dudley, West Midlands, England.National Tramway Museum The National Tramway Museum (trading as Crich Tramway Village) is a tram museum located at Crich (), Derbyshire, England. The museum contains over 60 (mainly British) trams built between 1873 and 1982 and is set within a recreated period vill ...

in 1960 and has been fully restored. * Sóller-Port tramway, Majorca *

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, West Bengal, India * Lisbon tram series 400-474, built in 1901 by the

St. Louis Car Company The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri. History The St. Louis Car Company ...

, equipped with controllers supplied by Dick, Kerr & Co.; as of 2020 survive numbers 436 (in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

), 435, 437, 441, 444, and 446 (in Portugal). Lisbon “''caixote''” cars of series 403÷610, rebodied locally in 1960-1961 partly based on some of those 400-474 cars with inherited controllers; as of 2014, number 442 is known to have survived.

Other Products

An example of the unusual 6-stroke Griffin gas engine manufactured by Dick, Kerr & Co is on display at the

Anson Engine Museum The Anson Engine Museum is situated on the site of the old Anson colliery in Poynton, Cheshire, England. It is the work of Les Cawley and Geoff Challinor who began collecting and showing stationary engines for a hobby. The museum now has one o ...

. A V-skip railway truck of 2 foot gauge manufactured by Dick, Kerr & Co is preserved at the

Moseley Railway Trust The Moseley Railway Trust is a major British collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and other equipment. It originally had its base in south Manchester, but has relocated to the Apedale Community Country Park near Newcastle-under-Ly ...

References

External links

Building Britain's WW1 flying boat fleetDick Kerr Ladies FC 1917-1965
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Kerr and Co. Locomotive manufacturers of the United Kingdom Electrical engineering companies of the United Kingdom Defunct engineering companies of the United Kingdom Defunct manufacturing companies of Scotland British companies established in 1883 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1883 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1919 1883 establishments in Scotland 1919 disestablishments in Scotland Manufacturing companies based in Preston Organisations based in East Ayrshire History of Preston British companies disestablished in 1919