My first employer (in 1956) ~ Ruston and Hornsby Ltd ~ made cars for a time following WWI using skills and materials left over from making WWI aeroplanes.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruston_(engine_builder)
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Yes - by coincidence I read a 'fragments on forgotten makes' bit about the Ruston and Hornsby in an old Motor Sport recently, with a picture IIRC. If you're interested, Mr Snail, I could delve back into the attic when I've got a minute and try and find it and scan it.
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>> Yes - by coincidence I read a 'fragments on forgotten makes' bit about the Ruston
>> and Hornsby in an old Motor Sport recently with a picture IIRC. If you're interested
>> Mr Snail I could delve back into the attic when I've got a minute and
>> try and find it and scan it.
>>
Thanks Mike Hannon. I'd appreciate that.
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Never knew they made cars, or aeroplanes for that matter, so I've learned something new.
I did work on a construction site in 1971-2 with a couple of Ruston Bucyrus 22RB crawler cranes, I believe they were the smallest of a series that were often used as draglines.
The gold standard is generally thought to be a Gardner, but a lot of Ruston engines have found their way into narrow boats, a friend had a 2 cylinder Ruston in one - slow revving, huge heavy flywheel. Last I heard the Ruston engines were being manufactured again in India and marketed for narrowboats.
Vintage Ruston installation here - goo.gl/fb5L
Back to cars I found a picture of a Ruston-Hornsby on this page - goo.gl/5RpS
I had to right click and 'view picture' to get some of the images to load. There's a picture of a Sopwith Camel they built as well.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 25 Apr 10 at 09:39
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Yup, found it and scanned it. Two page piece from 1967. Email me Mr Snail (see profile) and I'll get it to you later (have to go out...)
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(Not sure you can see email addresses in profiles - so I've mailed Mike address to snaily...)
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>> (Not sure you can see email addresses in profiles - so I've mailed Mike address to snaily...)
It depends if someone has ticked the box "Display my email address in my profile" in their settings.
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Haven't had an email yet. Are you still interested, Mr Snail?
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I used to work as an industrial radiographer many moons ago. I remember doing a few jobs at a place in Lincoln called Ruston gas Turbines, this factory i think was the old Ruston Buycrus plant.
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>> I used to work as an industrial radiographer many moons ago. I remember doing a
>> few jobs at a place in Lincoln called Ruston gas Turbines this factory i think
>> was the old Ruston Buycrus plant.
>>
Ruston Bucyrus had its own location, but Ruston Gas Turbines was in roughly the same are of the city. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruston-Bucyrus
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>> Haven't had an email yet. Are you still interested Mr Snail?
>>
I sent it on Sunday, and I've just sent it again. Perhaps my emails go by snail mail!
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It's a mystery - nothing has arrived in my inbox and I've double-checked the email address in my profile is correct. Give it a bit longer - AOL webmail is pretty carp these days - and if it doesn't arrive we'll think of something else.
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Hi Mr Snail. I now have your email address via the mods. I am encountering my usual problems with AOL - trying to send 3mb files - but will persist. If all else fails I'll email for your home address and post the darned things to you!
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Didn't Ruston become part of English Electric and then GEC and didn't they design the straight 6/8 V8/12/16 diesels that BR used for many years?
Certainly remember seeing Ruston parts for them.
One version of the V16 used FOUR turbochargers and intercoolers for 2000hp. A later V12 produced 1500hp more from less capacity.
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>> Didn't Ruston become part of English Electric and then GEC and didn't they design the
>> straight 6/8 V8/12/16 diesels that BR used for many years?
Here's a bit of the company history. tractors.wikia.com/wiki/Ruston_and_Hornsby
"The English Electric Co. in November 1966 took over Ruston & Hornsby Ltd. Then two years later, English Electric were taken over by the GEC Group (UK not GE of the USA). This resulted in the break-up of the Lincoln company, with sections merged ith oter GEC subsidaries. The large diesels joined up with the English Electric Vulcan Works at Newton-le-Willows, to become Ruston Diesels Ltd. The Newton-le-Willows "Vulcan Works" had a history that went back to 1830, as the factory where Robert Stephenson produced large numbers of steam locomotives.
The small diesels moved to Stafford to become part of Dorman Diesels Ltd. The Paxman engines subsidiary continued to build engines and boilers in Colchester, as Paxman Diesels Ltd. At Lincoln, excavator building continued at the Ruston Bucyrus factory with Bucyrus-Erie subsequently taking control.
The former Ruston turbine division expanded under the name Ruston Gas Turbines Ltd., and they were strengthened by the move of the Napier Turboblower subsidary of GEC which was moved from Liverpool to Lincoln."
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Thanks, Mike Hannon.
Both files received OK yesterday, saved onto my computer, and printed off.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Wed 28 Apr 10 at 07:04
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And EEV(English Electric Valve Co.) are now called E2V.
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Somehow, 'E2V' just isn't as stirring as a name like Ruston-Hornsby, Napier or Vulcan, is it?
I guess the dumbos can spell it though, and it's easier for txts...
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Not fashionable to have "muscular" names now - there was even some debate about calling the Eurofighter the Typhoon lest it offend someone - I ask you ! Wonder what they'd call the Spitfire now ?
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Ruston-Hornsby cars - Mike Hannon
