Ruston, Proctor and Company was established in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1857, and were manufacturers of

steam tractor A steam tractor is a tractor powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling. In North America, the term ''steam tractor'' usually refers to a type of agriculture, agricultural tractor powered by a steam engine, used extensively in the l ...

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 gen ...

. They later became Rustons and then

Ruston & Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of Narrow-gauge railway, narrow and Standard-gauge railway, 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 wa ...

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.” Ruston exported thousands of portable steam engines to Ukraine in Russia for grain Threshing. Exports were also made to Argentina, Chile and Australia. In 1918 it merged with the established

Richard Hornsby & Sons Richard Hornsby & Sons was an engine and machinery manufacturer in Grantham, Lincolnshire, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England from 1828 until 1918. The company was a pioneer in the manufacture of the Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine, oil engine develop ...

company from

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish 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 (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

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, ...

and

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

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 ...

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, centra ...

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 is a rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for longer and heavier freight train ...

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

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

ering. The firm were one of the first to manufacture steam-powered excavating machinery – in the 1880s producing the "Dunbar & Ruston's" steam navvy (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 England, North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary at Eastham, Merseyside, Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it ...

. 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 () is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902 and, from the Withdrawal of ste ...

. * 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 da ...

. * 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. His ...

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

Lehrte Lehrte () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 17 km east of Hanover. In the 19th century Lehrte was the most important railway junction in the former Kingdom of Hanover. As of the 2 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

* Ruston Proctor no. 29677: preserved a
Centro Interativo da Ruralidade - Arronches, Portugal

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