Talk:Yates and Thom

Reminiscences

Copied from User talk:Mjroots - post originally left Redrose64 (talk) 14:42, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

I believe that Yates of Blackburn was a predecessor to Yates & Thom; and that the latter subsequently became Foster, Yates & Thom. Their factory was on both sides of Manner Sutton Street (at the Eanam end). I remember that there was something resembling a bridge across the street, connecting the two buildings, which may have been some sort of housing for pipes or ducts. This was painted a dark colour - whether black, grey or blue I don't recall - but with the FYT logo in yellow. A few years ago I bought a Corgi "Dibnah's Choice" model steam traction engine and low-loader; the latter carries a Lancashire boiler painted black, with "YATES & THOM LTD. BLACKBURN" in white. --Redrose64 (talk) 12:10, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

William Yates started his blacksmith's shop in 1826. He later joined forces with Thom and the company continued making boilers and mill engines into the 1930's. Also in the 1930's they were taken over by the Preston company of Joseph Foster & Co. The Canal Works of Yates & Thom's, being superior to the Preston works of Joseph Foster, Foster moved to Blackburn. F Y & T were taken over by the Bolton company of Hick Hargreaves & Co in the 1960's and they in turn were taken over by Electrical Industrial Securities Ltd. As well as the engines and boilers, they manufactured a large number of heavy engineering equipment including Hydraulic Presses, Steel Mills plastics processing machinery and Ministry of Defence contacts.During the war, they manufactured Frigates for the Royal Navy. These were supplied in sections and welded together in Birkenhead. When I started as an apprentice with the company in 1964, they were still manufacturing Lancashire boilers. Although the company was closed down in 1973, most of the buildings that comprised Canal Works still remain http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Yates_and_Thom&action=submit# — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.151.136.71 (talk) 17:34, 8 November 2013 (UTC)