5 min.
Fowler Industrials
Established in 1860, John Fowler & Co. of Leeds began building diesel locomotives in the 1930s, and over the next four decades they produced a range of small and medium powered industrials at their Steam Plough Works in Hunslet.
Early customers included Roads Reconstruction, Swan Hunter, General Electric, and the Shredded Wheat Co. while in the years leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War, the company built a large number of centre cab 0-4-0 diesel mechanical locomotives for the War Department, these being used by the Air Ministry, the Admiralty, and at various Royal Ordnance Factories. Fitted with Fowler-Sanders heavy duty engines in the 137-150 bhp range, they were straightforward to maintain and, being suitable for a range of duties, this model, with various minor modifications, continued…