Dubs & Co.

Henry Dubs arrived in England from Germany in 1842 to work at the Vulcan Foundry, Warrington. He then worked for Beyer Peacock in Manchester until he was dismissed in 1857. Dubs was then appointed managing partner at Neilson & Co in 1858, replacing James Reid (later of Neilson, Reid & Co).

By 1863 the relationship between Dubs and Walter Neilson had effectively broken down and Dubs established his own company, Dubs & Co. By 1864 the company had established the Glasgow Locomotive Works at Queen's Park, Polmadie, Glasgow. Dubs took with him from Neilson & Co key staff, including chief draughtsman Sampson George Goodall-Copestake. The new company effectively competed with Neilson & Co for customers and very quickly established a thriving business. In 1867 Dubs & Co began building locomotives for export. Initially orders were received from India, Europe, Russia and later New Zealand and China, while still building a significant reputation in the domestic market. In 1866, Dubs & Co became one of the first companies to employ women as tracers in their drawing offices. Henry Dubs died in 1876 and was succeeded by William Lorimer.

When the company became part of the North British Locomotive Company in 1903, Dubs & Co employed 2000 people and was producing on average 160 locomotives a year. The works became known as the Queens Park Works at amalgamation.