Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd (RSH) was a locomotive builder with works in North East England

North East England

North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...

.

History

The company was formed in September 1937 when Robert Stephenson and Company

Robert Stephenson and Company

Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.- Foundation and early success :...

, which was based in Darlington

Darlington

Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...

 took over the locomotive building department of Hawthorn Leslie and Company

Hawthorn Leslie and Company

R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.-History:...

, based in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

. The goodwill

Goodwill (accounting)

Goodwill is an accounting concept meaning the value of an entity over and above the value of its assets. The term was originally used in accounting to express the intangible but quantifiable "prudent value" of an ongoing business beyond its assets, resulting perhaps because the reputation the firm...

 of Leeds locomotive builders Kitson & Co.

Kitson & Co.

Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Early history:The company started as James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet in 1835 with Charles Todd as a partner...

 was obtained in 1938.

RSH locomotive numbering began at 6939, this being the first number following the sum total of locomotives built by Robert Stephenson & Co. and Hawthorn Leslie, (6938).

RSH became part of English Electric

English Electric

English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...

 in 1955.

Locomotive building at the Newcastle upon Tyne works ended in 1961 and at Darlington in 1964.

Diesel locomotives

RSH entered the diesel locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

 market in November 1937 with a "direct reversing" locomotive fitted with a Crossley

Crossley

Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group.More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines have been built....

 two-stroke engine. There was no reversing gearbox and the diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

 itself was reversible, as in marine practice. When starting, in either direction, power was supplied by compressed air

Compressed air

Compressed air is air which is kept under a certain pressure, usually greater than that of the atmosphere. In Europe, 10 percent of all electricity used by industry is used to produce compressed air, amounting to 80 terawatt hours consumption per year....

 until the engine fired . One of these locomotives, Beryl (RSH 7697/1953), is preserved at the Tanfield Railway

Tanfield Railway

The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all...

.

Preservation

Location	Name	Works Number	Built	Arrangement	Gauge	Notes
Avon Valley Railway Avon Valley Railway The Avon Valley Railway is a three-mile-long heritage railway based at Bitton station in South Gloucestershire, England, not far from Bristol and is run by a local group: The Avon Valley Railway Company Ltd. The railway follows the Avon Valley south-east from Oldland Common, through Bitton and...		7151	1944	0-6-0T		Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2015
East Somerset Railway East Somerset Railway The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...	Meteor	7609	1950	0-6-0T		Undergoing restoration
Battlefield Line Railway Battlefield Line Railway The Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England. It runs from Shackerstone to Shenton , via Market Bosworth, a total of...	Richard III	7537	1949	0-6-0T		Undergoing overhaul. Has the same tractive effort as an LMS Black Five
Colne Valley Railway Colne Valley Railway The Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham Station, near Halstead in Essex, England. The railway consists of a mile-long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard...	Jupiter	60	1951	0-6-0ST		Built for the Corby Ironstone works. Undergoing overhaul
Coventry Railway Centre Coventry Railway Centre The Electric Railway Museum is located in Warwickshire, south of Coventry city, outside Baginton, and near to Coventry Airport. The heritage railway centre was also known as "The Airfield Line" as the railway was built on the site of a greenfield...	Doug Tottman	7284	1945	Bo-Bo		Built for Kearsley Power Station, rebuilt as battery electric for Heysham Power Station
East Anglian Railway Museum East Anglian Railway Museum The East Anglian Railway Museum is located at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex, which is situated on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line from Marks Tey to Sudbury...	Pen Green (now Thomas)	7031		0-6-0ST (now with side tanks also)		Operational, converted into a Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...  replica in March 2008, boiler ticket expires in 2018
Didcot Railway Centre Didcot Railway Centre Didcot Railway Centre, located in the town of Didcot in the English county of Oxfordshire, is based around the site of a comprehensive "engine shed" which became redundant after the nationalisation of the UK railways, due to the gradual changeover from steam to diesel motive power.-Description:The...	Bonnie Prince Charlie	7644	1951	0-4-0ST		Operational
Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway The Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, . It is part of the former Midland Railway branch from Skipton to Ilkley . The E&BASR currently runs from Embsay via Draughton and Holywell to Bolton Abbey station, a distance of...	Beano	7661	1959	0-4		Stored awaiting overhaul
Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway in South Wales, running trains between a halt platform opposite the Whistle Stop public house southwards to the town of Blaenavon via a two-platform station at the site of former colliery furnace.The line is the highest...		7169	1945	0-6-0ST		Operational
Foxfield Light Railway Foxfield Light Railway The Foxfield Light Railway is a preserved standard gauge line located south east of Stoke-on-Trent. The line was built in 1893 to serve the colliery at Dilhorne on the Cheadle Coalfield. It joined the North Staffordshire Railway line near Blythe Bridge....	Roker	7006	1940	0-4-0CT		On static display awaiting overhaul
Chasewater Railway Chasewater Railway The Chasewater Railway is a former colliery railway running round the shores of Chasewater in Staffordshire, England. It is now operated as a heritage railway.The line is approximately two miles in length, contained entirely within Chasewater Country Park...	Meaford	7648	1951	0-6-0T		Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2013
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Keighley and Worth Valley Railway The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a long branch line that served mills and villages in the Worth Valley and is now a heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England. It runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley railway station...	Southwick	7069	1942	0-4-0CT		On static display awaiting overhaul
East Somerset Railway East Somerset Railway The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...	Moorbarrow	7849	1955	0-6-0ST		Operational
Midland Railway - Butterley Midland Railway - Butterley The Midland Railway – Butterley is a heritage railway, formerly known until 2004 as the Midland Railway Centre, at Butterley, near Ripley in Derbyshire.-Overview:...	Castle Donington Power Station No. 1	7817	1954	0-4-0ST		Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2015, on loan to the Colne Valley Railway Colne Valley Railway The Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham Station, near Halstead in Essex, England. The railway consists of a mile-long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard...
Midland Railway - Butterley Midland Railway - Butterley The Midland Railway – Butterley is a heritage railway, formerly known until 2004 as the Midland Railway Centre, at Butterley, near Ripley in Derbyshire.-Overview:...	George			0-4-0ST		Undergoing restoration
Museum of Science and Industry	Agecroft No. 1	7416	1948	0-4-0ST		Operational
National Railway Museum National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...	Eustace Forth	7063	1942	0-4-0ST		Undergoing overhaul
Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre The Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre is a heritage centre based at Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, the terminus of the northern section of the Great Central Railway . The site includes locomotive and rolling stock workshops , as well as cafeteria and shops...	Ruddington	7667	1950	0-6-0ST		Stored awaiting repairs
Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre The Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre is a heritage centre based at Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, the terminus of the northern section of the Great Central Railway . The site includes locomotive and rolling stock workshops , as well as cafeteria and shops...	Corby	7761	1954	0-6-0ST		Undergoing overhaul
Peak Rail Peak Rail Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....	Zebedee	7597	1949	0-6-0T		Undergoing overhaul
Peak Rail Peak Rail Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....	Royal Pioneer	7136	1944	0-6-0ST		Operational, originally built for the War Department to an Auterity design
Ribble Steam Railway Ribble Steam Railway The Ribble Steam Railway is a standard gauge preserved railway in Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2005, running along Preston Docks,...	Agecroft No. 2	7485	1947	0-4-0ST		On static display awaiting overhaul
Spa Valley Railway Spa Valley Railway The Spa Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway that runs between Tunbridge Wells, High Rocks, Groombridge, and Eridge railway station, where it links with the Oxted Line. En route it crosses the Kent and East Sussex border, a distance of 5 miles , along the former Three Bridges to...	Samson	7668	1950	0-6-0ST		Restoration on hold
Spa Valley Railway Spa Valley Railway The Spa Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway that runs between Tunbridge Wells, High Rocks, Groombridge, and Eridge railway station, where it links with the Oxted Line. En route it crosses the Kent and East Sussex border, a distance of 5 miles , along the former Three Bridges to...	Ugly	7673	1950	0-6-0ST		Operational
Spa Valley Railway Spa Valley Railway The Spa Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway that runs between Tunbridge Wells, High Rocks, Groombridge, and Eridge railway station, where it links with the Oxted Line. En route it crosses the Kent and East Sussex border, a distance of 5 miles , along the former Three Bridges to...	North Downs	7846	1955	0-6-0T		Undergoing overhaul, a spare boiler has been purchased
Strathspey Railway		7097	1943	0-6-0ST		In service
Swindon Steam Railway Museum Swindon Steam Railway Museum STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway, also known as Swindon Steam Railway Museum, is located at the site of the old railway works in Swindon, England – Wiltshire's 'railway town'...	Agecroft No. 3			0-4-0ST		Undergoing overhaul
Tanfield Railway Tanfield Railway The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all...		7078	1944	Bo-Bo		Built for 500v DC overhead system at Kearsley Power Station Kearsley Power Station Kearsley Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Stoneclough, near Kearsley, Greater Manchester, England. It was designed in 1927 by Dr H.F.Parshall for The Lancashire Electric Power Company. The original installation was known as Kearsley 'A', comprising two British Thomson-Houston ...
Tanfield Railway Tanfield Railway The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all...	Beryl	7697	1953	0-6-0DM
Weardale Railway Weardale Railway The Weardale Railway is a British single-track branch line railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland , Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland to...		40	1954	0-6-0T		Operational
Weardale Railway Weardale Railway The Weardale Railway is a British single-track branch line railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland , Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland to...	Norwood	77		0-6-0ST		Undergoing restoration off site