The Company was formed in 1876, following a disastrous fire at Andrew Barclay’s Caledonia workshop in Kilmarnock. Thomas Grant, the Barclay Works manager, bought up a small engineering business in Kilmarnock and together with William Ritchie, another Barclay employee, set up in business together and started building Steam locomotives just down the road from the Andrew Barclay works. They took over an existing business called Grant Brothers, but it is not known whether there was a family connection to Thomas Grant.
Grant Ritchie built around 45 industrial steam locomotives between 1879 & 1920, primarily to order from operators in Scotland, although a few engines were supplied south of the border.
Grant, Ritchie also built colliery winding engines and one of these is preserved at the National Mining Museum; a 2400 hp engine built for the Victoria Colliery in the 1890s.
Preserved Locomotives
I have only included standard gauge locomotives which are preserved in Britain.
| Works No | Built | Name | Type | Location |
| 272 | 1894 | 0-4-0ST | Ribble Steam Railway | |
| 536 | 1914 | No7 Prestongrange | 0-4-2ST | Prestongrange Mining Museum |
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 