1913
The following article was published by Eddie McRorie on
7th May 2025 on the Johnstone History Facebook page and is reproduced here with his kind permission.
Loudon Brothers, Clyde Engineering Works, Johnstone
Detailed below is a collection of newspaper articles on the
company in the days when Loudons and others local firms were supplying
countries all over the world.
In 1895 a local newspaper reported:-
The engineering trade in the town is at the present
time fairly busy, and the prospects seem to be good. Messrs Loudon Brothers, of
the Peockland Engine Works, are just now so busy that they have had to intimate
their intention of starting a night shift.
This upturn in orders would continue into the next
century as shown in later articles.
Argentina - 1913
Planing machines are obviously a necessity for
locomotive shops, and the illustration given herewith is one of the patent
"Highest Speed" type supplied by Messrs. Loudon Brothers of the Clyde
Engineering Works, Johnstone, to the Cordoba Central Railway a British-owned
railway company, founded in 1887.
They operated a network in Argentina which extended
from Buenos Aires, north west via Rosario and Cardoba, to Tucuman. Financial
problems forced the sale of the company to the Government of Argentina in 1938.
New Zealand- 1926
Messrs Loudon Brothers (Ltd.), Clyde Engineering
Works, Johnstone, have secured further important orders for large planing
machines and other machine tools for the New Zealand Government Railways, in
connection with their new workshop extensions.
Russia & British Government Armaments Machinery - 1939
Scottish Machine
Tool Corporation
The Scottish Machine Tool Corporation have recently received large additional
orders, and all their works are likely to be fully employed for a considerable
period ahead.
The
machinery under construction is of a varied character, comprising heavy machine
tools for armament production, including exceptionally large planing machines,
gun boring machines, powerful lathes, bending and flattening machines, and
guillotine shears. These are destined for British Government works, for the
works of the armour plate manufacturers, as well as for the Admiralty and for
shipyards engaged on warship construction.
Russia
In addition, large orders are
being executed for Russia for machine tools suited for general industrial work.
Many powerful wheel lathes are also under construction for home and overseas
railways, and one of the Corporation's works is engaged upon a large order for
power presses for the new aeroplane factory at Castle Bromwich.
