Hawthorn Leslie and Company was formed by the merger of the shipbuilder A. Leslie and Company in Hebburn with the locomotive works of R. and W. Hawthorn at St.Peter’s in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1886. The company manufactured locomotives to order for main line companies and later had a number of standard designs including 0-4-0 saddle tanks and fireless locomotives.
In 1937 Robert Stephenson of Darlington amalgamated with the locomotive works at Forth Banks to form Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd. By this time Hawthorn Leslie had built 2,783 locomotives.
The newly formed Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns became a subsidiary of the Vulcan Foundry in 1943 and Hawthorn’s 137-year connection with Forth Banks ended.
The Dapol model is based on the 0-4-0 saddle tanks built between 1899 and 1924. They were produced in large numbers and continued in a variety of industrial uses (included Iron works, collieries and power stations) until the early to mid 1970’s. Over 10 locomotives have made it into various states of preservation.
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