Like most well-known industrial steam locomotive manufacturers, Hudswell, Clarke & Co. Ltd. of the Railway Foundry, Leeds, have designed and built locomotives for all conditions of service in most parts of the world, even when individual engines have been called for. Nevertheless, through the years a steady stream of industrial locomotives has been supplied to basic standard designs, the 0−4−0 saddle tank, "maid of all work" for shunting, being well represented by the Standard 14".

    In 1929, a new design was developed from the earlier 14" by 20" outside cylinder 0−4−0 saddle tank with its characteristic short tank. The new engine’s main features included cylinders with the stroke increased to 22", and the smoothing of the external lines with the provision of a full length tank of increased capacity. In all, thirty-five of these locomotives have been produced up to the present time, all virtually duplicate orders apart front minor modifications to drawgear or buffers, etc., to suit individual customer‘s requirements. They have all been built to standard gauge (4' 8½").

    Four locomotives for the Ministry of Supply (1722, 1723, 1726 and 1727) were equipped to burn oil and were fitted with a fuel tank in place of the left hand side cab coal bunker. One cut-down version (No.1724) was built for the Monk Bridge Steelworks with a dropped footplate and a special arched roof to its reduced cab; the main dimensions, however, were as shown below. 1868 and 1869 had an additional coal bunker fitted at the rear of the cab.

This is an official photograph of No. 1632, and is reproduced by courtesy of Hudswell Clarke & Co. Ltd.

    Possibly the last to be built (No.1888 for the Esholt Sewage Works) is the most interesting as it was the first locomotive in the World to use wool grease as fuel. This grease is extracted in the Esholt plant from the woollen mill sewage and has proved very successful with the "Holden" liquid fuel system, so much so that Esholt‘s other locomotive (Hudswell, Clarke 1435 of 1922, NELLIE) was rebuilt early in 1962 with a new firebox and similar fuel system.

    The principal dimensions of the Standard 14" are:-

     * 80 gallons of grease on No. 1888.

  * (The date ex-works of No. 1869 is not given in Hudswell Clarke‘s records, but it is thought to have been the same as for No. 1868. Oxfordshire Ironstone‘s records for both engines show "June 1953" only.)

    (The year of building shown on the worksplates of nos. 1660, 1734 and 1735 is the year subsequent to the date of despatch (1936, 1943 and 1943 respectively).

    Some doubt attaches to the first owners of nos. 1733, 1734 and 1735, which are thought to have been ordered by the Ministry of Supply for works under their control. The Harrington Works, in Cumberland, is thought to have been a Seaweed Experimental Station of the M.O.S. operated by Ocean Salts (Products) Ltd. This firm and the British Periclase Co. Ltd. were subsidiary companies of the Steetley Co. Ltd. It appears that nos. 1733 and 1734 were originally ordered for the "Harrington Shore Works, Harrington, near Workington", and no.1735 for the "Palliser Works, Hartlepool, Co. Durham," but the records show that the order for no.1734 was subsequently transferred to the "Steetley Lime & Basic Co. Ltd., Shireoaks, Worksop". This is the headquarters of the Steetley organisation, and it is thought that no.1734 was not delivered here but to the Coxhoe quarry in County Durham. Further information on this topic would be welcomed. - Hon. Ed.)