The company was first established as
Mitchell & Neilson
by
William Neilson
and
James Mitchell
in
1836
, financed, in large
part, by William Neilson's brother, James Beaumont Neilson. In
1837
, engineering works were
founded in Hydepark Street, Glasgow, Scotland, but, in about
1840
, William
Neilson and James Mitchell both left the company. James B Neilson then formed a
new company with Stewart Kerr, called
Kerr, Neilson & Co
, but it ran into financial
difficulties. In
1843
, James Neilson's son,
Walter Montgomerie Neilson
, aged only 24, took over
the running of the firm. At this point, James Mitchell returned from Liverpool,
England, in order to manage the financial side of the business, becoming a
partner. The new partnership was known as
Neilson & Mitchell
until
1855
. In
1845
, the firm had recovered
enough to be able to expand, purchasing land in Finneston Street, Glasgow for a
new foundry. The first locomotive built by the company for use in Britain was
delivered to the
Glasgow, Garnkirk & Coatbridge Railway Co
, but
well into the
1850s
, the firm
continued to be engaged in a variety of general engineering projects as well as
locomotive building. Eventually this work became its speciality, and, by
1862
, demand for locomotive
engines had increased to such an extent that the firm, now known as
Neilson & Co
, was able to lay out new, specially
adapted works on a site in Springburn, Glasgow, which was known as the Hyde
Park Locomotive works. The name of the firm was changed, yet again, to
Neilson, Reid & Co
, when, on the
retirement of Walter Montgomerie Neilson in
1876
, James Reid became sole
partner.
James Reid had a long association with the company. During the
1850s
, he had
been Neilson's works manager, but he had been replaced by the German born,
Henry Dubs (
1816-1876
),
who had the experience with locomotives that Reid lacked at that time. Reid
went to Manchester to work for
Sharp, Stewart & Co
, locomotive builders, but
returned to Glasgow, to be Neilson's managing partner after the departure of
Henry Dubs from the firm to set up his own company in
1864
. There was a final
breach in the relationship between Reid and Neilson, however, when Neilson gave
Reid opportunity to buy him out of the firm. Neilson was aggrieved at the
treatment he received from Reid, which deprived him, as he saw it, of his
rightful share in the business. Since only Neilson's account of events survives
it is difficult to make a final judgement on the situation. In
1893
, James Reid's four sons
became partners, the eldest son, Hugh Reid, becoming senior partner on his
father's death.
Although the demand for locomotive engines continued,
Neilson, Reid & Co
had some strong local
competitors in the shape of
Dubs & Co
and
Sharp, Stewart & Co
, a firm which had moved its
Atlas works to Glasgow from Manchester in
1888.
Hugh Reid became
convinced of the advantages of industrial concentration and helped to negotiate
the amalgamation of
Neilson, Reid & Co
with its
major Glasgow competitors, Sharp, Stewart & Co and
Dubs & Co
in
1903
. The resulting limited
company was known as the
North British Locomotive Co Ltd
and was the biggest
locomotive builder in Europe at the time, with 60 acres of works and up to
7,570 employees. Although its first chairman was William Lorimer, from
Dubs & Co
, Hugh Reid became deputy
chairman and chief managing director with overall responsibility for the
organisation and management of the new company.
GB 248 GD 329
Records of Andrew Barclay Sons & Co Ltd
GB 248 UGD 008 The Scottish Railways Collection
GB 0248 UGD 009 Records of
Dubs & Co
GB 0248 UGD 011 Records of
North British Locomotive Co Ltd
Material in other repositories:
Order books and drawings
c1863-1903
National Railway Museum Library and Archives
(GB 756)
GB 246 Weight diagram books, photographs and papers 1864-1903 (City of
Glasgow, Mitchell Library)
For contact details of all repositories with a GB code, see the
Archon repository
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