Ruston, Proctor and Company was established in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

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 ...

in 1857, and were manufacturers of

steam tractor :''This article refers to the steam-powered agricultural tractor; for other types of steam tractor, see: Traction engine'' A steam tractor is a vehicle powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling. In North America, the term ''steam t ...

s and

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

. They later became Rustons and then

Ruston & Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow gauge railway, narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of ...

History

The firm was started as millwrights and implement manufacturers 'Burton & Proctor' by James Toyne Proctor and Theophilus Burton in Lincoln in 1840.

Joseph Ruston Joseph Ruston (1835 – 11 June 1897) was an English engineer and manufacturer and Liberal Party politician, though he split from the party over Home Rule and retired.obit. The Automotor and Horseless Carriage Journal, June 1897, p367 Ruston was ...

became a partner in the company in 1857 by buying Burton's share and the company changed name to Ruston, Proctor & Co. and grew to become a major agricultural engineering firm. In 1865 Ruston became the sole proprietor and in 1899 the firm became a limited company with a workforce of over 1000. Noting that its workmanship “leaves nothing to be desired,” The Engineer wrote in 1889 that the company had “perhaps done more in locomotive work than any other firm in what is known as the agricultural engineering trade.” In 1918 it merged with the established

Richard Hornsby & Sons Richard Hornsby & Sons was an engine and machinery manufacturer in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England from 1828 until 1918. The company was a pioneer in the manufacture of the oil engine developed by Herbert Akroyd Stuart, which was marketed un ...

company from

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

to become

Ruston and Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars ...

. That company later merged with

Bucyrus-Erie Bucyrus-Erie was an American surface and underground mining equipment company. It was founded as Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1880. Bucyrus moved its headquarters to South Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1893. In 1927, B ...

and

Ruston-Bucyrus Ruston-Bucyrus Ltd was an engineering company established in 1930 and jointly owned by Ruston and Hornsby based in Lincoln, England and Bucyrus-Erie based in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the latter of which had operational controlThe Amazing ...

was established in 1930. Rustons were primarily steam engineers, manufacturing portable, stationary and

traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any t ...

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

s, and associated engineering products such as winding gear, shafts and pulleys. Threshing machines, clover hullers, corn mills, maize shellers and pumps for steam power were also made. Steam powered winches for sailing trawlers were another product, including boiler, engine, drive shafts and winch bollard. As well as engines for agriculture machines Rustons made

railway locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the 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, railcar or power car; the us ...

s, industrial equipment and mining machinery. The company also expanded into electrical and

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-call ...

ering. The firm were one of the first to manufacture steam-powered excavating machinery – in the 1880s producing the "Dunbar & Ruston's"

steam navvy A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. Steam shovels played a major role in public works in the 19th and ...

(excavator).Lincolns Excavators: The Ruston Years 1875–1930, by Peter Robinson, These 2 cu yd machines were used in the construction of the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the river ...

. In 1906 they built the "Ruston Light Steam Shovel", and exhibited it at the Royal Agricultural Show of 1907 held in Lincoln, the machine being of 3/4 cu yd capacity.

Preserved machines

* Ruston Proctor No.10227 (1884) steam engine, preserved at Museum Žeravica, Novo Miloševo, Serbia www.muzejzeravica.org * Ruston Proctor reg. no. CT3949 traction engine no. 33189. * Ruston Proctor works no. 51168 (1916) paraffin mechanical locomotive at the

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Brit ...

. * Ruston Proctor works no. 52124 (1918) paraffin mechanical locomotive with

Museum of Lincolnshire Life The Museum of Lincolnshire Life is a museum in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in the UK. The museum collection is a varied social history that reflects and celebrates the culture of the county of Lincolnshire and its people from 1750 to the present day ...

. * Ruston Proctor flywheel drive to overhead belts: Sapucai Steam Train Maintenance Depot, Paraguay. * Ruston Proctor no. 18188: preserved at

Thinktank, Birmingham Thinktank, Birmingham (formerly known as simply Thinktank) is a science museum in Birmingham, England. Opened in 2001, it is part of Birmingham Museums Trust and is located within the Millennium Point complex on Curzon Street, Digbeth. Hist ...

* Ruston Proctor no. 27360: preserved by Freunde historischer Fahrzeuge Immensen at Lehrte,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

* Ruston Proctor flywheel drive No.15033 / 811XL: established as play equipment in the recreation park, Jugiong, New South Wales,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

References

External links

Ruston & Hornsby
- History
Ruston Proctor Engine Photo's
- TractionTime {{Authority control Defunct manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Defunct aircraft engine manufacturers of the United Kingdom Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United Kingdom Millwrights Steam road vehicle manufacturers Companies based in Lincoln, England British companies established in 1857 Manufacturing companies established in 1857 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1918 1857 establishments in England 1918 disestablishments in England History of Lincoln, England History of Lincolnshire Articles containing video clips 1918 mergers and acquisitions British companies disestablished in 1918 Ruston (engine builder)

History

Preserved machines

See also

References

External links