Robert Hudson Ltd was a major international supplier of light railway materials, based in Gildersome, near Leeds, England.

To improve access to the works a connection with the Great Northern Railway main line from Wakefield to Bradford was established in 1890 thus allowing raw materials and finished goods to be transported by rail.

The top set of points came loose when the rope broke and fouled the up line just as an express parcels train approached.

[6] In 1890, offices and stores were opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the supply of light railway materials to the diamond and gold mining industries.

The company's primary products were vehicles and trackwork for narrow gauge railways but also included aerial ropeway systems.

To support the main business and provide a complete service to the customer, Robert Hudson supplied almost any related equipment.

The heavier duty versions had thicker metal bodies, double ball bearing races in each axlebox and usually a central stiffening girder.

Hudson boasted that " at any time several thousand Rugga wagons are in stock, for immediate delivery"[citation needed] Another principal product was mine tubs, found in almost all UK collieries and similar operations elsewhere in the British Empire.

[10] Hudson supplied a vast array of track components, from the rail in all of its multitude of sections and weights per yard, through to individual bolts, nuts and washers .

When the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1916 suffered from the appalling ground conditions, which restricted the supply of materials to the front line, a report by Sir Eric Geddes of the North Eastern Railway recommended implementation for 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge railways, following which the War Office ordered 7,000 miles (11,000 km) of prefabricated track, the majority of which was sent to France, along with around 6,000 tipping wagons and 5,000 bogie wagons of varying designs.

[citation needed] The locomotive used a four-wheeled cast chassis to which a roller chain drive connected to the tractor axle.

Only a few of these machines were constructed but fortunately a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge, 1928 model is preserved at the Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Leeds.

The manufacture of internal combustion locomotives was not pursued and Hudsons often supplied Avonside Engine Company or Kerr Stuart units to their customers.

The locomotive frame was a one piece casting and the power was delivered by a chain drive and friction clutch from a 20 hp (15 kW) Ailsa Craig CF2 diesel engine.

In practice differences were small, the driver was given a seated position, the height was lower and the bonnet or hood was fitted with sloping sides and removable engine covers.

In the 1930s the introduction of practical locomotive haulage in coal mines demanded better wagons than the traditional plain bearing designs.

With the demise of the Gildersome works the company became a sales and service organisation for construction plant and machinery e.g. Ford, Barford, Kubota.

The goodwill passed to NEI Becorit and ultimately to Clayton Equipment, based in Derby, who are still very active in the narrow gauge railway industry and using the Robert Hudson name in their marketing.