Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in
Elswick,
Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of
armaments,
ships,
locomotives,
automobiles, and
aircraft.
The company was formed in 1897 as a merger of the engineering firms of
William Armstrong and
Joseph Whitworth. The company expanded into the manufacture of cars and trucks in 1902, and created an "aerial department" in 1913, which became the
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft subsidiary in 1920.
His company can also be credited with helping to create the Town of Deer Lake in the country of Newfoundland. Between 1922 and 1925, a hydroelectric station was built at Deer Lake by the Newfoundland Products Company and Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company. The canal system used by the hydroelectric station helped to expand the woods operations in the area. Some of the equipment used in the construction of the Panama Canal was shipped to the small Island nation. Electricity from the project was used to power the pulp and paper mill in Corner Brook. Since the 1920s, Deer Lake has grown into a major area for the lumbering industry, as well becoming a service oriented centre.
In 1927, the defence business merged with
Vickers to create a subsidiary company known as
Vickers Armstrong.
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Yermak,
Imperial Russian Navy,
1898*
Angara,
Imperial Russian Navy,
1899*
Naniwa ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1885*
Yoshino ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1892*
Yashima ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1896*
Takasago ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1897*
Asama ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1898*
Tokiwa ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1898*
Hatsuse ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1899*
Izumo (出雲)
,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1899*
Iwate (岩手)
,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1900*
Kashima ,
Imperial Japanese Navy,
1905*
HMS Nelson'',
Royal Navy,
1925*
USS New Orleans (CL-22), USN 1895
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USS Albany (CL-23), USN 1898
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HMS Agincourt (1913)*
HMS Canada (1913)*
HNoMS Norge, 1899
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HNoMS Eidsvold *
HMS Erin 1914
Armstrong Whitworth build numerous steam and diesel locomotives for mainline companies and industrial railways.
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GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT*
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0*
Metropolitan Railway K Class 2-6-4TThe
Armstrong-Whitworth was manufactured from 1904 (when the company took over construction of the
Wilson-Pilcher) until 1919 (when the company merged with
Siddeley-Deasy and began construction of the
Armstrong-Siddeley) in
Coventry.
The Wilson-Pilcher was an advanced car, originally with a 2.4 litre engine, that had been made in London from 1901 until 1904 when production moved to Newcastle. Two models were made, a 2.7 litre flat four and a 4 litre flat six. The engines had the flywheel at the front of the engine. Drive was to the rear wheels via a
preselector gearbox and helical bevel axle. The cars were listed at £735 for the four and £900 for the six. They were still theoretically available until 1907.
The first Armstrong-Whitworth car was the
28/36 of 1906 with a water cooled, four cylinder side valve engine of 4.5 litres which unusually had "oversquare" dimensions of 120 mm bore and 100 mm stroke. Drive was via a four speed gearbox and shaft to the rear wheels. A larger car was listed for 1908 with a choice of either 5 litre
30 or 7.6 litre
40 models sharing a 127 mm bore but with strokes of 100 mm and 152 mm respectively. The
40 was listed at £798 in bare chassis form for supplying to coachbuilders. These large cars were joined in 1909 by the 4.3 litre
18/22 and in 1910 by the 3.7 litre
25 which seems to have shared the same chassis as the
30 and
40.
In 1911 a new small car appeared in the shape of the 2.4 litre
12/14, called the
15.9 in 1911, featuring a monobloc engine with pressure lubrication to the crankshaft bearings. This model had an 88 inch wheelbase compared with the 120 inches of the
40 range. This was joined by four larger cars ranging from the 2.7 litre
15/20 to the 3.7 litre
25.5.
The first six cylinder model, the
30/50 with 5.1 litre 90 mm bore by 135 mm stroke engine came in 1912 with the option of electric lighting. This grew to 5.7 litres in 1913.
At the outbreak of war, as well as the 30/50, the range consisted of the 3 litre
17/25 and the 3.8 litre
30/40.
The cars were usually if not always bodied by external coach builders and had a reputation for reliability and solid workmanship. The company maintained a London sales outlet at New Bond Street.
See also Armstrong (automobile)The
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Co was initially a subsidiary of Armstrong Whitworth until 1927 when it passed to J D Siddeley along with
Armstrong-Siddeley*
Armstrong Whitworth Ape*
Armstrong Whitworth F.K.3*
Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.8 - "Big Ack" (1200)
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Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.9*
Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.10 - Quadriplane (8)
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Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle (1940)
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Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52 (1947)- flying wing, prototype only
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Armstrong Whitworth Apollo (1949)
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Armstrong Whitworth Argosy (1926)
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Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta (1932)
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Armstrong Whitworth Atlas *
Armstrong Whitworth AW.650 Argosy*
Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy *
Armstrong Whitworth Ensign (1938)
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Armstrong Whitworth Scimitar (1934) *
Armstrong Whitworth Siskin *
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley production by Armstrong Whitworth for other Hawker group companies
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Hawker Sea Hawk *
Gloster Meteor NF.11 
