Sharp, Stewart and Co
Sharp, Stewart and Co initially of Atlas Works, Great Bridgewater St, Oxford St, and Caledonia Foundry, Gloucester St, Manchester, boiler makers, ironfounders, machine makers, millwrights, toolmakers and dealers.
and later of Atlas Works, Glasgow in 1888.
1824/6 Thomas Sharp and Richard Roberts entered into partnership at Falkner Street, Manchester.
1828 Thomas Sharp and Richard Roberts opened the Atlas Works in 1828 to manufacture textile machinery and machine tools.
1834 Commenced the manufacture of locomotives.
1838 The company had 3 establishments, in Falkner Street and Great Bridgewater Street, one of which was Atlas Works where locomotive engines were assembled; Thomas Sharp, John Sharp and Thomas Sharp junior were present at the visit of Marshall Soult.
1842 Thomas Sharp died.
1843 The partnership of Sharp, Roberts and Co was dissolved. The Sharp brothers carried on their part of the business at Atlas Works as Sharp Brothers.
During 1851 and 1852 twenty engines were built for the London and North Western Railway to the design of Edward McConnell, the so-called "Bloomers," subcontracted from Wolverton.
1852, the senior partner, John Sharp, retired and was replaced by Charles Patrick Stewart, the name of the company changed to Sharp, Stewart and Co. Shortly after Charles Beyer left. Thomas Sharp junior was succeeded by Stephen Robinson.
1853 Thomas Beatt Sharp and William Sharp were listed in a directory as being engineers at Sharp, Brothers and Co, ironfounders, engineers, millwrights and machinists, of Great Bridgewater St and Oxford St, St Peter's (the same as Thomas Sharp and Co) [1].
1853 they were described as makers of locomotive engines. [2]
1853 There is a description of their works in the 1853 Directory of Manchester and Salford, p33-37
1853 Pillar Crane. [3]
1853 Slotting machine for 7ft wheels. [4]
1858 James Reid was appointed manager.
1860 Sole rights were obtained for Giffard's patent injector.
1863 Reid left Sharp Stewart to return to Neilson and Co
1864 The company acquired limited liability.
The company provided a number of 0-4-0 tender engines for the Furness Railway of which Number 20, built in 1863 has been restored to working order by the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway in Cumbria.
1862 The company began making larger engines, firstly some 4-6-0 saddle tank engines for the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. By 1865 they were building 0-8-0s, again for India.
1880 Shares quoted/traded on Manchester Exchange (indicating was a public company)[5].
1888 They were also dealing in general brass and ironmongery, and machine tools; the lease on their premises expired so it became necessary to move. They took over and moved to the Clyde Locomotive Works in Glasgow, renaming it Atlas Works.
1889 A number of compounds were built for the Argentine Central Railway in 1889, some 4-4-0 and some 2-8-0.
1892 They received an order for seventy five 4-4-0s and 0-6-0s from the Midland Railway. By now they had built a number of 4-6-0 engines for overseas railways, but in 1894 came their first order for a British line, the "Jones Goods" of the Highland Railway. By the end of the century they were supplying railways at home and all over the world.
1894 Description of their Atlas works in 'The Engineer'. Long article with many photographs. [6]
1894 Large drawing of six-coupled Bogie Goods Engine for the Highland Railway. [7]
1900 A Duplex Triple-geared Lathe illustrated in 'The Engineer'. [8]
1903, having built over 5,000 engines, the company amalgamated with Neilson and Co and Dubs and Co to form the North British Locomotive Co.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1853 Directory of Manchester and Salford
- ↑ 1853 Directory of Manchester and Salford
- ↑ The Imperial Journal 1853 Volume III. p240
- ↑ The Imperial Journal 1853 Volume III. p623
- ↑ The Huddersfield Daily Chronicle, 27 January 1880
- ↑ The Engineer of 14th December 1894 p511
- ↑ The Engineer of 14th December 1894 p534 Supplement
- ↑ The Engineer of 27th April 1900 p434
- British Steam Locomotive Builders by James W. Lowe. Published in 1975. ISBN 0-905100-816