John Fowler and Co

John Fowler and Co of the the Steam Plough Works in Leeds produced steam Traction Engines and Lorries. See John Fowler for biography

• 1850 Company founded.

• 1862 (1850?) John Fowler established the business.

• 1864 His brother Robert Fowler became a partner in the company.

• 1864 John Fowler was killed in a hunting accident aged 38 years.

• 1866 The first railway locomotives were made.

• 1872 Beam engine. Exhibit at Anson Engine Museum.

• 1876 Exhibitor at the Royal Agricultural Show at Birmingham with engines of 6, 8 and 14 hp in a new very dark green colour.

• 1876 Members of the Iron and Steel Institute visited their works.

• 1886 The name John Fowler and Co (Leeds) Ltd was registered and listed as a manufacturer of steam traction engines.

• 1889 Engines of the House-to-House Electric Lighting Installation in Kensington.

• 1889 Showed a compound horizontal engine at the RASE at Windsor.

• 1891 Supplied horizontal twin-cylinder, cornish and drop valve winding engine for Abercynon Colliery. Works number 6029.

• 1894 Burton-on-Trent Electric light Works. Article and illustration in 'The Engineer'.

• 1894 Eight-furrow turnover steam plough. Article in 'The Engineer'.

• 1894 June. Royal Agricultural Society's Show. Turnwrest Plough for Steam Cultivation.

• 1900 Robert W. Eddison a director of the company died.

• 1900 Article and illustration on armoured train made.

• 1900 June. Royal Agricultural Show at York. Showed 'Several fine engines'.

• 1908 Private company.

• 1910 Produced agricultural tractors and machinery.

• 1911 Smithfield Club Show. Exhibited steam cultivating tackle, road locomotives etc.

• 1920 Royal Agricultural Show at Darlington. 8-Furrow Turning Plough.

• 1920 October. New steam ploughing engine rated at 70 hp and 6,000lb on the rope.

• 1924 Built steam powered lorries until 1935 and built 117 in this period.

• In 1927 the Gyrotiller was produced, having been designed to work on sugar cane plantations. Its rotary tines could penetrate the soil to a depth of 500 mm. It was successful not only at the sugar estates but also gained interest from contractors. The last Gyrotiller was produced in 1937.

• 1931 Produced their first diesel powered lorry for 6/7ton payloads.

• 1935 Ceased production of lorries and railway locomotives. It is estimated that they made between 150-300 of the latter.

• 1937 The last steam engine, a road roller, was produced.

• 1944 Producing the 2DY diesel marine engine.

• 1945 Company made public.

• 1947 The company was absorbed in to the T. W. Ward group.

• 1961 Manufacturers of diesel crawler tractors and diesel locomotives. 1,100 employees.

• 1974 Company ceased trading.

Sources of Information

• British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing
• Traction Engine Album by Malcolm Ranieri. Pub 2005
• From 1890 to the Present Day Farm Tractors by Michael Williams published in 2005 by Silverdale Books ISBN 978-1-84509-251-1
• British Steam Locomotive Builders by James W. Lowe. Published in 1975. ISBN 0-905100-816
• The Engineer of 15th August 1876 p180
• The Engineer of 21st July 1876 p40
• The Engineer of 24th May 1889 p435
• The Engineer of 28th June 1889 p544
• The Engineer of 8th June 1894 p508
• The Engineer of 29th June 1894 p563
• The Engineer of 29th June 1894 p562
• The Engineer of 25th May 1900 p536
• The Engineer of 25th May 1900 p562 & 564
• The Engineer of 22nd June 1900 p650
• The Engineer of 25th June 1920 p650
• The Engineer of 29th October 1920 p434
• The Engineer of 8th December 1911 p593
• The Modern Diesel edited by Geoffrey Smith. Published by Iliffe & Sons 1944
• The Steam Engine in Industry by George Watkins in two volumes. Moorland Publishing. 1978/9. ISBN 0-903485-65-6
• 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE