Paxman is a major

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

brand of

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...

s. Ownership has changed on a number of occasions since the company's formation in 1865, and now the brand is part of

MAN Diesel & Turbo MAN Energy Solutions SE is a German multinational company based in Augsburg that produces large-bore gas and diesel engines and also turbomachinery for marine, rail and stationary applications, as locomotive and marine propulsion systems, power ...

. At its peak, the Paxman works covered and employed over 2,000 people. Early Paxman diesel engines (with "Comet" indirect injection cylinder heads, designed by Sir

Harry Ricardo Sir Harry Ralph Ricardo (26 January 1885 – 18 May 1974) was an English engineer who was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine. Among his many other works ...

) carried the name Paxman Ricardo.

History

Davey Paxman

Paxman was founded by James Noah Paxman, Henry and Charles Davey as Davey, Paxman & Davey, Engineers in 1865, later Davey, Paxman & Co. which became a limited company in 1898. In 1920 the company became a member of the

Agricultural & General Engineers Agricultural & General Engineers Limited (AGE) was a holding company formed on 4 June 1919 during a postwar economic "boom" to combine five British engineering companies: Aveling & Porter, E H Bentall, Blackstone, Richard Garrett and J & F Howard. ...

(AGE) combine. In 1932 AGE collapsed and Paxman emerged as Davey Paxman & Co (Colchester) Ltd. Davey, Paxman and Davey conducted business as general engineers and ironworkers. The company manufactured

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be ...

s, boilers, agricultural machinery, and mill gearing. By the early 1870s the company was supplying machinery to the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa.

Ruston-Paxman

In 1940, Ruston & Hornsby purchased a controlling interest in the company; this co-operation led to the formation of Ruston-Paxman Group. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Paxman supplied diesel engines for various naval vessels such as e.g., the

British U-class submarine The British U-class submarines (officially "''War Emergency 1940 and 1941 programmes, short hull''") were a class of 49 small submarines built just before and during the Second World War. The class is sometimes known as the ''Undine'' class, af ...

and the British V-class submarine. In 1954, the engine controls business of Paxman was reformed as a subsidiary, Ardleigh Engineering. In 1962, Paxman acquired the engine controls division of the

Curtiss-Wright Corporation The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation of Curtiss, Wright, and v ...

and merged the two businesses under the Regulateurs Europa name.

English Electric and GEC

In 1966, the Ruston-Paxman Group was acquired by

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 ...

. The diesel engine businesses were merged into English Electric Diesel Engines Ltd (later English Electric Diesels Ltd). Paxman became the "Paxman Engine Division" of English Electric. In 1968, English Electric was itself acquired by GEC. In 1972, GEC renamed the engines division GEC Diesels Limited. In 1975, a reorganisation saw the creation of Paxman Diesels Limited as a subsidiary.

Alsthom

In 1988, GEC merged its Paxman, Ruston and Mirrlees Blackstone diesels businesses with the Alsthom division of Compagnie Générale d'Electricité (CGE) to form GEC-Alsthom. Paxman became GEC ALSTHOM Paxman Diesels Ltd. In December 1997, GEC Alsthom had its initial public offering as Alstom. The diesel engine businesses became Alstom Engines Ltd (AEL).

MAN B&W Diesel

In 2000, Alstom Engines Ltd. was acquired by

MAN B&W Diesel MAN Diesel SE was a German manufacturer of large-bore diesel engines for marine propulsion systems and power plant applications. In 2010 it was merged with MAN Turbo to form MAN Diesel & Turbo. History * In 1980, MAN acquired the Burmeister & W ...

to become MAN B&W Diesel Ltd. In 2005, MAN sold the Regulateurs Europa controls business to Heinzmann. In November 2020, MAN announced the

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

factory would close with the remaining Paxman products to be supported by

MAN Energy Solutions MAN Energy Solutions SE is a German multinational company based in Augsburg that produces large-bore gas and diesel engines and also turbomachinery for marine, rail and stationary applications, as locomotive and marine propulsion systems, power ...

Hazel Grove Hazel Grove is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, close to the Peak District national park. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, the area was known as Bullock Smithy until 18 ...

facility.

Diesel engines

Paxman

Pre-1934 designs: * VZ, used in LMS 7054 Post-1934 designs (indirect injection): * RP, used in

British Rail 10100 British Railways 10100 was an unusual experimental diesel locomotive known informally as ''The Fell Diesel Locomotive'' (after Lt. Col. L. F. R. Fell, who was one of the designers). It was the joint production of Davey Paxman & Co, Shell Refi ...

, British Rail 10800, British Rail 11001, British Rail Class D2/1,

British Rail Class 07 The British Rail Class 07 diesel locomotive is an off-centre cab 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunter type built by Ruston & Hornsby in 1962 for the Southern Region of British Railways. The 14 members of the class were primarily used at Southampton ...

, Western Australian Government Railways Y class, New South Wales Government Railways 41 class * Hi-Dyne, a variant of the RPHXL using controlled turbocharging to provide a constant output power across the whole speed range. Post-1952 designs (direct injection) * YH, used in

British Rail Class 15 The British Rail Class 15 diesel locomotives, also known as the BTH Type 1, were designed by British Thomson-Houston, and built by the Yorkshire Engine Company and the Clayton Equipment Company, between 1957 and 1961. They were numbered D8200-D ...

and

British Rail Class 16 The British Rail Class 16 also known as the North British Type 1 was a type of diesel locomotive designed and manufactured by the North British Locomotive Company. A total of ten were produced, these being numbered D8400-D8409. The type was or ...

* ZH, used in

British Rail Class 17 The British Rail Class 17 (also known as the Clayton Type 1) was a class of 117 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built 1962–1965 by Clayton Equipment Company and their sub-contractor Beyer, Peacock & Co., on behalf of British Railw ...

* YJ Ventura, used in

Type 42 destroyer The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class, was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and ...

British Rail Class 14 The British Rail Class 14 is a type of small diesel-hydraulic locomotive built in the mid-1960s. Twenty-six of these 0-6-0 locomotives were ordered in January 1963, to be built at British Railways' Swindon Works. The anticipated work for thi ...

British Rail Class 29 The British Rail Class 29 were a class of 20 diesel-electric Bo-Bo locomotives produced by the re-engining of the NBL Type 2 units. The units were designed for both passenger and freight trains. Background The machines were produced from 1963 ...

British Rail Class 74 The British Rail Class 74 was an electro-diesel locomotive that operated on the Southern Region of British Railways, rebuilt from redundant Class 71 locomotives in the late 1960s. An electro-diesel locomotive is one that can operate either from ...

* Y3J (later RP200) Valenta, used in

Type 22 frigate The Type 22 frigate also known as the ''Broadsword'' class was a class of frigates built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen were built in total, with production divided into three batches. Initially intended to be anti-submarine warfare fri ...

Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a ship class, class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after List of dukes in the peerages of the British Isles, British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonl ...

, , ''Upholder''/''Victoria''-class submarine,

British Rail Class 43 (HST) The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 ''High Speed Train'' (formerly Classes 253 and 254) power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK s ...

New South Wales XPT The New South Wales ''XPT'' (short for eXpress Passenger Train) is a class of diesel-powered passenger trains built by Comeng and ABB Transportation. Based on the British Rail designed Intercity 125 High Speed Train, each XPT set is made up ...

* VP185, used in

Ruston-Paxman

Examples of Ruston-Paxman diesel engines: * RK3, used in

British Rail Class 56 The British Rail Class 56 is a type of diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight work. It is a Type 5 locomotive, with a Ruston-Paxman power unit developing 3,250 bhp (2,423 kW), and has a Co-Co wheel arrangement. Enthusiasts nicknamed t ...

British Rail Class 58 The British Rail Class 58 is a class of Co-Co diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight. The narrow body with cabs at either end led to them being given the nickname "Bone" by rail enthusiasts. Their design represented a major departure fro ...

References

External links

Paxman and Diesel Rail Traction
{{MAN SE, state=autocollapse Engine manufacturers of the United Kingdom Locomotive engine manufacturers Diesel locomotive engines Companies based in Colchester Diesel engines by maker Diesel engine manufacturers MAN SE Manufacturing companies established in 1865 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2021 1865 establishments in England 2021 disestablishments in England