North British Diesel Engine Works

About

A Summary of the History of the North British Diesel Engine Works

The North British Diesel Engine Works, located on South Street in Whiteinch, Glasgow, originated from a strategic consolidation within the shipbuilding industry. In 1912, the firm Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson acquired Barclay, Curle and Co., and the two entities jointly established the North British Diesel Engine Works Ltd. This new venture was created to develop the diesel engine capacity previously gained by Barclay, Curle through its acquisition of the North British Engine Co. The Works were constructed between 1913 and 1914, complete with a fitting-out tidal basin.

The company underwent several corporate restructurings in its early years. It was re-registered in 1922 as the North British Diesel Engine Works (1922) Ltd, but by 1925 it had entered voluntary liquidation, with its assets subsequently acquired by Barclay, Curle and Co. Ltd. The Works remained active in marine engineering, securing contracts for marine machinery as late as 1968.

The Sliding Cylinder Engine

The Works is notably associated with the construction of a novel double-acting two-stroke diesel engine, patented by John Campbell McColl MacLagan. This unconventional design featured a complex system where both the piston and the cylinder reciprocated, driven by a network of levers and connecting rods.

A pioneering 240 BHP two-cylinder unit was built in 1922 to drive a generator. Subsequently, a larger three-cylinder engine, designed to produce 2000 BHP at 200 rpm, was constructed in 1923-1924 and installed in the vessel MV Swanley. A one-eighth scale working model of this engine was exhibited at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924.

Despite the ingenuity of their design, these propulsion engines proved to be mechanically troublesome in service. The three vessels in which they were installed—the Swanley, Storsten, and City of Stockholm—were ultimately re-engined at the builders' expense. A one-eighth scale model of this engine is preserved in the collection of the Scottish Maritime Museum.