Black, Hawthorn & Co

The Quarry Field Works was opened in 1835 by John and Ralph Coulthard, known as John Coulthard and Son which became R. Coulthard and Company in 1853 when the partnership was dissolved. Their first loco was York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway number 156, a 2-4-0 to the Jenny Lind pattern. There followed more of the same and several 0-6-0 engines. Although the works numbers went up to 100, probably only twenty were new, since the company carried out a great deal of rebuilding work.

In 1865 Ralph Coulthard retired and the works was taken over by William Black and Thomas Hawthorn, who concentrated on industrial tank locomotives, both four and six coupled. The company supplied steam locomotives to collieries and works, particularly in North East England. They also built a number of crane engines. Some of the locomotives were very long-lived. A 0-4-0ST steam locomotive is preserved and is currently getting a refit at the Tanfield Railway.

By 1896 over a thousand engines had been built when the firm was taken over by Chapman and Furneaux, A further seventy were produced before closing in 1902, with drawings, patterns and goodwill being bought by R & W Hawthorn and Leslie of Newcastle.

Styrbjörn at Högbo bruk

Preserved Black, Hawthorn locomotives include:

• Wellington, 0-4-0ST at Tanfield Railway, works no.266, built 1873
• Bauxite No.2, 0-4-0ST at NRM York, works no.305, built 1874
• Kettering Furnaces No.3, 0-4-0ST built for the Kettering Ironstone Railway, preserved at Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum works no.859, built 1885[1]
• E No.1, 2-4-0VBTC at Beamish Museum, works no.897, built 1887
• City of Aberdeen, 0-4-0ST at Bo'ness & Kenneil railway, owned by SRPS , works no.912, built 1887
• Styrbjörn, 0-4-0ST at Högbo bruk (static exhibit, in children's playground), near Sandviken, Sweden, works no.966, built 1890

• Lowe, J.W., (1989) British Steam Locomotive Builders, Guild Publishing