Tay Foundry [1st]

Location type

Works

Name and dates

Tay Foundry [1st]

Note: text in square brackets is added for clarity and was not part of the location's name.

Description

Peter Borrie & Co was based at the first Tay Foundry in Trades Lane, Dundee. The foundry produced marine engines for wooden and iron vessels, the parts of iron vessels and several locomotives. The foundry was just north of Dundee Trades Lane station (the west terminus serving the Dundee and Arbroath Railway) and Dundee Victoria Dock.

From 1832, Peter Borrie's had his own design of marine engine, a 'Borrie Engine', which had a side connecting rod.

From 1834 the company worked with Thomas Adamson, shipbuilder, to build wooden steamers.

The most famous of these is the 'PS Forfarshire', built for the Dundee & Hull Shipping Company (company formed 1834 and ship launched 1834). Having left Dundee on the 5th of September 1838, the vessel, in a gale and seeking the shelter of the Farne Islands, was wrecked on Big Harcar on the 7th. Grace Darling (Grace Horsley Darling) and her father William Darling, lighthouse keeper of Longstone Lighthouse, rescued several of the survivors by rowing boat. RNLI - The Story of Grace Darling

In 1840 the company began to build iron ships, including paddle steamers. The Lass o' Gowrie and Princess Royal were assembled at Broughty Ferry.

Six locomotives were built around 1841. Five of these were offered to the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway who purchased one and named it 'Euclid'.

Using a design by John Chanter the company built a 2-2-2 locomotive 'Coryndon' (sp?) for the London and Croydon Railway.

The company failed around 1842/43 and its equipment was sold off in 1846. The inventory of equipment sold makes interest reading (see info box).

So close was the link with Thomas Adamson's shipyard, which failed at the same time, that the two were often known as Adamson & Borrie (or vice versa).

Tags

Foundry

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map

Nearby stations
Dundee Trades Lane
Dundee East
Dundee West
Dundee Ward Road
Dundee
Roodyards
Dundee Esplanade
Offset at Back of Law
Magdalen Green
Crossroads
Lochee
Newport-on-Tay East
Stannergate
Newport-on-Tay West
Craigie
Dundee Foundry
Dundee Victoria Dock
Dundee East End Mineral Depot
Panmuir Shipyard
Dundee Earl Grey Dock
Dock Street Tunnel
Dundee East Shed
Camperdown Junction
Dundee Craig Harbour
Dundee Gas Works
Dundee West Goods
Dundee Camperdown Dock
Tourist/other
HM Frigate Unicorn
V and A Museum Dundee
RRS Discovery
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Inventory of the Tay Foundry


An advert in the Railway Times ran


EXTENSIVE SALE for behoof of a Sequestrated Estate, of Steam Engines, Machinery, and Engineers' and Machinery-makers' Tools, at the TAY FOUNDRY, DUNDEE.

There will be sold by Public Auction, within the Tay Foundry, Trades'-lane, Dundee, on Wednesday the 27th, and Thursday the 28th May next, the sale to commence at Eleven o' clock forenoon, on each day, the whole Engines, Machinery, and Tools, belonging to the Sequestrated Estate of Peter Borrie and Company, Engineers, Machine-makers and Founders, -consisting of one condensing steam engine, of about 16-horse power with two boilers; one high pressure steam engine on portable frame, gearing, shafting, and belting; two new boilers; engineers and machine-makers' tools of all kinds; heavy boaring and turning lathes; large and small vertical boring machines; slotting machines; planing machines; self acting and common turning lathes; slide-rests; wheel cutting engine; vices, anvils, large cranes; boiler-makers' tools; punching rolling, and cutting machines, - also the whole stock of valuable patterns in the works.

The business carried on at the Tay Foundry by Messrs Peter Borrie and Company, as Engineers and Machine-makers, was of a very extensive description, and the machinery and tools are for the most part new, and of the best most powerful construction. The stock of patterns is large, and includes a quantity of gearing patterns, drums, pullies, and wheels. All these articles are well worthy of the attention of machine-makers and others.

The whole will be exposed in suitable lots. The articles can be seen on the premises any time previous to the sale. Printed catalogues will be ready for distribution by 1st of May, and may be obtained from Archibald Borthwick, Esq., Accountant, Edinburgh, the trustee on the estate. William Neish,Esq., writer Dundee; Messrs William Taylor and Co., Machine makers, Dundee; and of
JOHN M. BEATTS Auctioneer.
29, Reform-street Dundee, 23rd April 1846