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Birmingham suppliers to the railway industry 1929

Radiorails

Radiorails

master brummie
Happenstance gives me some copies of The Locomotive magazine. One is dated December 1929, another May 1935 (Silver Jubilee edition) a third, 1958 and a fourth, 1959. The 1929 edition is priced at 10d (about 4p), the 1935 edition is 1/- (one shilling = 5p) and the other two are 2/- (10p).

The earlier editions have many advertisements, a good number of which refer to manufactures in Birmingham and West Bromwich. The later editions have fewer adverts. Whilst there are other Midland companies who have adverts in the magazines I have restricted my choice to Birmingham and West Bromwich.

These are the details of the companies and their products:

Thos. P. Hawkins & Son Ltd.,74-78, Dean Street, Birmingham. They made chain, staples, pins, riddles/sieves and wire work in steel, brass and copper.

The Incandescent Heat Company Ltd., British Mills, Cornwall Road, Smethwick. They made furnaces.

Allen Everitt & Sons Ltd., Smethwick who manufactures copper pipes and cupro-nickel stay bolts.

The Prothero Steel Tube Co. Ltd., makers of various types of tubes.

J. Brockhouse & Co. Ltd., Victoria Works, West Bromwich. They forged many types of springs and ironwork for the railways.

Non-Ferrous Casting Co., Railway Bearing manufacturers, 56, Broad Street, Birmingham.

West Bromwich Spring Co. Ltd., George Street, West Bromwich, makers of springs and washers.

George Polkey Ltd, Hockley Lamp Works, Birmingham. Oil burning lamps and railway stores.

James Beresford & Son Ltd., Cato Street Works, Birmingham. Manufacturers of every description of railway carriage furniture and lavatory fittings.

Taylor & Challen Ltd. Derwent Works, Constitution Hill, Birmingham. Presses of all types. Some for cartridges and coins.

John Wilkes, Sons & Mapplebeck Ltd. Abberley Street, Winson Green, Birmingham. Brass and copper tubes for many applications.

Geo. Salter & Co. Ltd, West Bromwich. Pressure and vacuum gauges, springs, weighing machines and light castings.

and lastly, and this is the only company who has adverts in the 1958 and 1959 editions;

Tearne & Sons, Ltd. All Saints Road, Birmingham. Transfers for locomotives, railway carriages and tramcars. Arms, monograms and lettering.

I recognize a couple of these company names and wonder how many are still in active production. Few I guess but some, of course, may have moved to other parts of the region or Country.

I hope many find this information of interest and hopefully those with long memories may recall some of the former manufacturers of the erstwhile City of 1000 trades.
 
An additional company not mentioned in the 1929 edition but included in the 1935 edition is:

B.J. Round & Sons, 7-10, Northampton Street, Birmingham. They were in the plating trade.

Although the telephone numbers by this time were in four figures it is noticeable that only London based adverts have a Postal District quoted. Some of the 1929 Birmingham addresses are well known but others possibly more obscure. The lack of Postal District number makes them less easily identifiable. Some of the streets may no longer exist but I think it might be interesting to know who and what exist present days at the locations listed. They cannot surely all have been swept away for the road schemes so loved by Birmingham planners.
 
As no interest seems to have arisen relating to my posts I was not sure whether to bother to add to it. Maybe it is too long ago for most folks memories and few, if any, of the companies now exist.

However, another copy of the magazine, March 1928, has come my way. One or two of the previously mentioned adverts are in this edition but I did see the following that were not previously mentioned.

John Levick Ltd., Metal Spinning Works, Alma Street, Aston, Birmingham.

Thomas Chatwin Ltd. Great Tindal Street, Birmingham. Makers of screwing machines.

Tearne & Sons Ltd. were also here. They were the only company mentioned in all three magazines. They had a small sized advert but, I would think, a buoyant. business.
 
I think there was a company, supplying rolling stock to the railway, in Bordesley Green near Blake Lane. ?
 
It wouldn't surprise me at all to find that many Birmingham and Midland companies also manufactured railway items. The companies mentioned her are only those who advertised in the magazine. Surprisingly few locomotives were built in Birmingham. Most were constructed elsewhere (not including those built by the major railways for themselves).
 
Some of those companies ring a bell with me from the dim and distant past.

The railways were a big employer, both directly and indirectly it would seem..
 
Here is a map from c 1950. 46,47 are in red. The 1940 Kellys still lists the firm there. It does not give a no, only between the mission hall and Newtown Row, butb that would fit, so I think it reasonable to assume that they stayed at the same place

map c1950 showing theodore st.jpg
 
They a
Donbogen said:
No1 GWR Copper top 1920s
No 2 GWR BR/W 50s/60s
Both restored by me in 90s
Brother took the sooty Fogger
Not maker marked but
But Brumie made?
Again may have posted beforrView attachment 199752View attachment 199753
Click to expand...
ll look so ancient/old yet they were probably still being used when I was born! Not sure what that really says, certainly nothing that I would admit to :cool:. This is all great stuff!
 
Ok iv got a Brumie made LMS Fogger
Some where gonna dig it out
Heres some of my lamps in future train room
Left LNE 20s
Lower Middle SR 1940
Other 2 GWR as just posted
Boy in lamp mode now will
Post more as they surface
Iv posted picss of about 10
Of my lamps on various threadsjj.jpg
 
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