L. Gardner and Sons Ltd.

L. Gardner and Sons Ltd was a well-known British builder of diesel engines for stationary, marine, road and rail applications.

Origin

About 1873 Lawrence Gardner set up as a sewing machine maker in Upper Duke Street, Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester. By 1888 the firm was trading as L. Gardner and Sons. Lawrence Gardner died in 1890 but the business was continued by his sons.

Gas and diesel engines

From about 1895 the company was building gas engines and, in 1899 it moved into Barton Hall Engine Works, Patricroft, Manchester.

In 1903 it became a limited company, L Gardner and Sons Ltd. Norris and Henty Ltd, of London, were appointed as sales agents.

Diesel engine production began in around 1903. In 1912 a new sales subsidiary, Norris, Henty and Gardners Ltd, was formed.

During World War I (1914-1918) the company made munitions, parts for heavy guns and engines for tanks.

Automotive engines

During the 1920s there was rapid development in the design of diesel engines. In 1929 a Gardner "4L2" marine engine was fitted into a Lancia bus. This conversion was successful and prompted Gardner to introduce the "LW" series of diesel engines, designed especially for road vehicles.

During World War II (1939-1945) Gardner's war work consisted mainly of building diesel engines of their own design.

Post-war diesels

After the war the "LW" diesel engine continued to be built in large numbers for lorries and buses and was later supplemented by the more modern "LX". The larger "6L3" and "8L3" engines were used in railway locomotives, such as British Rail Class 01 and British Rail Class 04.

The supply of remanufactured Gardner engines and genuine Gardner parts

L. Gardner and Sons ceased production of new engines in the early 1990s. The introduction of emissions regulations for road-going Gardner diesels would have required the development of significantly modified or totally new engine designs, and in the marine market there was a shift away from big, low-speed, high-torque engines such as Gardners towards adapted high-speed automotive turbodiesels. Two spin-off firms from the original company are still in existence. Gardner Marine Diesels [ [http://www.gardnermarinediesels.com Gardner Marine Diesels ] ] overhauls, re-manufactures and installs a wide range of marine-spec Gardners and both they and Gardner Parts Limited [ [http://www.gardnerparts.co.uk/ Gardner Engine Parts and Spares - Commercial vehicle transmission parts and spares for DAF, Eaton, Leyland Pneumocyclic / Hydracyclic gearboxes, Leyland Axle, MAN, Mercedes, Scania Gearbox and Differential, Rockwell, Voith Gearbox & Volvo Gearbox ] ] supply genuine Gardner engine parts for all types of engine worldwide.

Preservation

The Anson Engine Museum has an extensive collection of historic Gardner engines.

References

ources

* Smith, Donald H., "The Modern Diesel", pp 151-154, published by Iliffe & Sons, London, 13th edition 1959

Further reading

* "L. Gardner & Sons Limited: Legendary Engineering Excellence" by Graham Edge (ISBN 1902356160)