Description
From a small company supplying the local coal mining industry Robert Hudson Ltd. grew to become Britain’s largest manufacturer of Light Rail and Mining equipment supplying the home market, the British Empire and the world. To cater for this the company opened factories in South Africa and India in addition to its British works at Gildersome near Leeds. For many years the Gildersome works, referred to locally as “Hudson’s Foundry”, employed over 500 workers and was one of the largest employers in the area. This modest book is a tribute to the massive contribution that Hudson made locally and to narrow gauge railways throughout the world and its part in the economic development of so many overseas countries. Based upon extracts from the many old catalogues of the company which have survived. Luckily Hudson produced so many of these extensive catalogues going back many years that we are able to understand how they traded worldwide. Its catalogues were coded and communication was by telegram.
Despite the demise of the company, the Robert Hudson name lives on through its products continuing to be built by successor companies and old locomotives and rolling stock still in operation on preserved narrow gauge steam railways such as the Apedale Valley Light Railway, operated by the Moseley Railway Trust in North Staffordshire.
First published by Alan Haigh in 2005 and was re-published by Moseley Railway Trust in December 2012. It consists of a short introduction with a brief history of the company, then shows a wide selection of their products from various catalogues, making it a mine of information for modellers looking for new prototypes. Revised, and re-mastered in 2012, with improved
picture quality and some additional information, this book is a must for any narrow gauge railway enthusiast. A4 size, 36 pages, laser printed with card covers.
