Early History
The company started as James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet in 1835 with Charles Todd as a partner. Todd had been apprenticed to Matthew Murray at the Round Foundry in Holbeck, Leeds.
Initially it made parts for other builders, until it was joined in 1838 by David Laird, a wealthy farmer who was looking for investments, the company becoming Todd, Kitson and Laird. This year saw the production of the company's first complete engines, either for the North Midland or the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
However, Todd left almost immediately to form Shepherd and Todd and the company was known variously as Kitson and Laird or Laird and Kitson.
The order for six engines by the Liverpool and Manchester began with 0-4-2 Lion,, which still exists. Around 1860, it was withdrawn from service and sold to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, where it was jacked-up off its wheels and used for pumping water. In 1930 it was restored and remains in preservation at the Museum of Liverpool.
In 1842, Laird, not receiving the financial return he expected, left the partnership. Kitson was then joined by Isaac Thompson and William Hewitson, the company becoming Kitson Thompson and Hewitson. In 1851 the company exhibited an early tank locomotive at The Great Exhibition, and were awarded a gold medal. In 1858 Thompson left and it became Kitson and Hewitson, then finally Kitson and Company in 1863 when Hewitson died.
The company built about 5,400 locomotives over a period of 101 years, with orders for British railways including the Midland Railway, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the South Eastern Railway, and worldwide. From 1855 many Indian railways became major customers.
From 1866 Kitson's produced a large proportion of the Midland Railway double-framed goods engines designed by Matthew Kirtley and from 1869 began building a series of engines for Russia. In 1886 Kitson's assisted its representative Mr E.Jeffreys in the preparation of five designs for the Victorian Railways (Australia), each with standardised components interchangeable between the classes. Manufacture of these locomotives was by Colonial builders, except for two examples built at Kitson's Airedale Foundry, Leeds and exhibited at the Centennial International Exhibition held in the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, for which they received the First Order of Merit in the English Court. These were a large 0-6-0 and a suburban 2-4-2T. The Kitson's designs influenced the Victorian Railways for many years. Kitson built a large order of 4-6-0s for the Cordoba Railway in Argentina during 1889-91, which were among the earliest British examples of this type.
From 1876 to 1901 they also built over 300 steam tram engines and steam railmotor units. These were developed from W.R.Rowan's design.
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