Irish locomotive
engineers
Steamindex home page
More correctly this is locomotive engineers in Ireland as many of them were Englishmen. .Thus it excludes notable Irish locomotive engineers, such as Beames and O'Brien, who were Irishmen, but contributed mainly to locomotive development in England. With the very notable exception of Maunsell most such individuals appear to have been unsuccessful.
General sources
Doyle, Oliver and Stephen
Hirsch
Railways in Ireland, 1834-1984. 1983.
Published to celebrate
Nock, O.S. Irish steam,
1982)
Chapter 2: Irish locomotive men
See also Aspinall, Bulleid, Ivatt, Maunsell and Robinson
Akerlind, Gustav
Locomotive Superintendent of the Clogher Valley Railway. Appointed
in April 1889 at a salary of £150 p.a. and died, whilst still in service,
in 1922. He was of Swedish origin, and had been trained at Derby. He was
a fair but strict disciplinarian, developed the workshops at Auchnacloy and
introduced modifications to the existing Sharp Stewart locomotives to improve
their performance. The sole locomotive for which he had an influence upon
the design: an 0-4-4T supplied by Hudswell Clarke in 1910 was not a
success.
Appleby, Henry
Appleby's period as Locomotive Superintendent of the Waterford &
Limerick Railway was brief, but did lead to the appointment of
J.G. Robinson.
Armitage, Thomas
Locomotive Superintendent Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway 1872-5
thence to Waterford & Limerick Railway See
Johnston's Great Northern
Railway and. Rutherford,
Backtrack, 2006, 20, 434.
Atock, Martin
Locomotive Superintendent Midland Great Western Railway in Ireland
1872 to 1901. Went to Broadstone, Dublin from Stratford.
Marshall notes that Atock was born
in Preston in 1836 and died in Killiney on 28 Novemebr 1901. Soon after his
birth the family moved to Stratford where his father was Carriage & Wagon
Superintendent of the ECR. Martin became a locomotive draughtsman at Stratford,
but in 1861 he became Locomotive Superintendent of the Waterford & Limerick
Railway. In 1872 he became as noted Locomotive Superintendent of the MGWR.
Ellis (Trains we loved)
called him one of the gentlest and most courteous of locomotive
superintedents. Succeeded by Cusack..
See Letter Backtrack by Charles Bayes.
Patent with Albert George Burnell
315,543 Improvements in and relating to feed water
heaters. Published 18 July 1929 Applied: 9 June 1928
feed-water heater
Papers
Presidential Address. J. Instn Loco.
Engrs, 1930, 20, 215-28.
Surveys the Rainhill Trials of 1829 and notes the lack of educational
facilities available through the Institution. No information on Bazin's Irish
activities.
According to Marshall he was born
in London on 26 July 1879 and died in Dorchester (Dorset) on 28 October 1965.
He was educated at Christ College Finchley and became a Premium Apprentice
at Doncaster under Ivatt where he was a friend of O.V.S. Bulleid
(see H.A.V. Bulleid on his father)
In 1905 (Report dates 21 January) Bazin and T. Smith reported on a visit
to the GWR and TVR to study steam railcars. He held several posts of increasing
importance on the running side of the GNR, including Assistant District
Locomotive Superintendent at Colwick, and from September 1906 DLS at
Peterborough, and in 1908 was appointed Assistant Works Manager at Doncaster
and in 1916 became Acting Carriage & Wagon Superintendent. In May 1919
he beacme Works Manager at Inchicore and in November 1921 he succeeded
Watson as CME on the GS&WR. He introduced the "modern
4-6-0" to the Great Southern Railway in Ireland with his three B1 two cylinder
(outside Walschaerts valve gear) two cylinder locomotives. Also rebuilt some
of the troublesome Watson 4-cyliner 4-6-0s with two cylinders. As a young
man he was a keen photographer. Nock
in his monograph on the Ivatt Atlantics notes that Bazin wrote an article
on superheaters for the class in the Rly Mag for 1911..
See Letter
Backtrack by Charles Bayes.
According to Phil Atkins, Bazin was an enthusiastic amatuer astronomer, a member of the British Astronomical Association, with a particular interest in variable stars. He also once came across an incidental/oblique reference to him in a book as a witness to strange sounds emanating from a house in Doncaster in 1916.
J.R. Bazin (205-6): Paper by McDermid (J. Instn Loco Engrs, 1933, 23, Notes on device fitted to GNR 0-8-0s: the blast-pipe was of aof special construction and had what was really a conical plunger fitted centrally into the orifice which could be moved up and down by a vertical rod. It worked off a spindle and bell-crank at the base of the blast-pipe and was onnected to the reversing lever so that when the engine was in full gear the conical plunger was dropped, increasing the area of the blast pipe orifice and as the engine was noteched up it was raised and formed a sort of central choke. It worked very well in controlling the exhaust jet but the heat in the smokebox damaged the linkage
Obituary : J.R. Bazin. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1964/65, 54,
366.
Portrait: J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1930, 20, fp. 814.
Bell, R.
Locomotive Superintendent Irish North Western Railway from October
1850 until 1852, See Johnston's
Great Northern Railway
Blue, John
Locomotive Superintendent Irish North Western Railway for one month
in 1852, See Johnston's Great
Northern Railway. page 28.
Bredin, Edgar Craven
According to Marshall Bredin
was born in Canterbury on 16 April 1886 . He was educated at Mountjoy
School in Dublin. In 1905 he was apprenticed to Fielding & Platt
in Gloucester and became a pupil at Inchicore in 1907. He was appointed Works
Manager at Inchicore in 1925 and Bredin was CME of the Great Southern Railway
from 1937 to 1942 when he became General Manager, and in 1945 General Manager
of CIE. Bredin was noteworthy for introducing the three modern 3-cylinder
4-6-0 locomotives with the names of gaelic queens (the 800 class),
Maeve and her two sisters. He died in Dublin on 5 August 1950.
Patents
324,818 Improvements in and relating to mechanism used for the
transfer of road vehicles on to and from railway vehicles. Published:
6 February 1930. Application number: 3940/1929 Applied: 5 February 1929
308,008 Improvements in and relating to mechanism used for the
transfer of road vehicles on to and from railway vehicles. Published:
21 March 1929. Application number: 806/1928. Applied: 10 January 1928.
277,401 Improvements in and relating to feed water heaters for
locomotive and like boilers. with Albert George Burnell. Published:
22 September 1927. Application number: 10816/1926. Applied: 21 January 1927
Paper
The design of a modern locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1939, 71, 718.
Abstract of a paper presented to the Dublin University Engineering
Society. Bredin surveyed locomotive development and related this to his own
800 class.
References to:
APPOINTMENT of E.C. Bredin as C.M.E., G.S.R. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon
Rev., 1937, 43, 121. illus. (port.)
OBITUARY Edgar C. Bredin. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1950,
40, 592.
Burnell, Albert George
Innovator of feed-water heating system: see patents with both Bazin
and Bredin.
Cabry, Joseph
Locomotive Superintendent MGWR from 1856.
Clifford, Charles
Locomotive Superintendent Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (appointed
in May 1895 in succession to Park). Apprenticed to Dublin & Wicklow Railway
under Wilfred Haughton. In 1861 appointed to Irish North Western Railway
at Dundalk, eventually absorbed into GNR(I).
See Rly Mag., 1899, 5,
385. Portrait therein. Retired 1912:
Rutherford, Backtrack, 2006, 20,
434..
Coey, Robert
Born in Belfast in 1851 under the family name of Cowie (which was
changed by his sister Catherine and himself by deed poll to Coey). He graduated
in engineering. Two of his brothers served the BNCR/NCC and his brother James
Cowie became General Manager from 1899 to 1922. Coey enetered Inchicore
as a draughtsman in 1876 under
McDonnell, rising to Chief Draughtsman
in 1880 and Works Manager under Ivatt whom he succeeded
as Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent in 1896. He introduced 4-4-0s
with taper boilers in 1904 and a ponderous inside-cylinder goods engine in
1905. He experimented with superheating prior to his early retirement (due
to stress and migraine) in 1911. He moved to Scarborough with his family,
spent one year in Switzerland and three in Rome following WW1 and then end
his days in Harrogate dying on 24 August 1934. He was succeeded by
Maunsell.
Chacksfield, J.E. The Coey/Cowie
brothers. all railwaymen.
An extensive biography
Connor, James
According to Rutherford (Backtrack, 2007, 21, 44) Connor
was the designer of the Hudswell Clarke 3ft gauge 4-8-0s constructed for
the Burtonport Extension Railway.
Connor, Patrick
Locomotive Superintendent of Dublin & Drogheda Railway as successor
to Sylvester Lees (he had been his assistant)
from 1848 until December 1860. Johnston page
16.
Cronin, Richard
The Dublin & South Eastern Railway head-hunted Richard
Cronin from Inchicore to act as its final Locomotive Superintendent in succession
to John Wakefield. He converted the over-weight
0-6-2Ts (see Grierson) to tender locomotives. He
acquired second-hand 2-4-2Ts from the LNWR for the suburban services and
a 4-4-2T No. 20 King George was produced at the Great
Canal Street works. Cronin's successor was George Wild from
the GNR(I). See Shepherd.
The Queen's visit to Ireland. Rly
Mag., 1900, 7, 20.
Illus. of Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Railway 4-4-0 No. 55 Rathdown
decorated for Royal journey from Kingsbridge station to Kingstown Pier:
R. Cronin, Locomotive Superintendent is clearly identified.
Crosthwait, Henry William
Born in 1879, educated Dublin High School and Royal College of Science,
Dublin from 1896 to 1898. Then three years pupilage at Inchicore. From 1901
to 1908 Assistant Waorks Manager at Inchicore, then Locomotive Running
Superintendent GSWR. Served in Royal Engineers during WW1. From 1920 Assistant
to Locomotive Engineer for materials inspection. Retired in 1944 to Leamington
Spa. Died on 30 January 1956. Obituary: J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1955,
45, 701..
Crosthwait, J.L.
Locomotive Superintendent of the Bangor & County Down Railway.
District Locomotive Superintendent, Waterford, GSWR. Brother of H.W. Crosthwait
above
Curry, William
Locomotive Superintendent Dublin
& Drogheda Railway 1863 to 1876. Curry was appointed Locomotive
Superintendent to the merged railway, but in 1881 he became assistant to
J.C. Park, whom he served until his retirement in 1892. According to
Johnston, Curry had come to Ireland from
Carlisle and had worked for the Great Southern & Western at Inchicore
before joining the DDR. At the DDR he concentrated on rebuilding earlier
locomotives at the Dublin Works. Rutherford,
Backtrack, 2006, 20, 434.
Cusack, E.A.
Locomotive Superintendent of the MGWR from 1902:
successor to Atock.
Patents
with William Edward Morton
9660. Applied 24 April 1912. Published 24 April 1913. Improvements
in or relating to superheaters for locomotives.
Dods, Robert
Locomotive Superintendent of the Londonderry & Enniskillen Railway
between October 1848 and March 1854, and of the Londonderry & Coleraine
Railway from October 1852.. Johnston page
32.
Domville, C.K.
Locomotive superintendent Belfast & County Down Railway between
1861 and 1880: see
Patterson.
Dundas, William
Locomotive Superintendent of the Dublin & Drogheda Railway between
February 1861 and August 1863. Johnston page
18.
Eaton, John
Locomotive superintendent of the Ulster Railway from 1885: continued
to function at the Ulster Railway workshops at Great Victoria Street Belfast
after the railway became part of the GNR(I) and so-functioned until the work
was transferred to Dundalk in 1881 Retired in 1885, following a period of
ill-health which started in 1883.
Johnston..
(Lowe) and
Rutherford, Backtrack, 2006, 20,
434.
Findlay, Robert
Formed an interegnum between Leigh and
Malcolm on the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway
between 1875-6. He was son of Sir George
Findlay of the LNWR.His name may be misspelt without a "d" in
Currie..
Firth, Thomas
Locomotive superintendent Belfast & County Down Railway between
1855 and 1861: see Patterson.
Norman Johnston's Locomotives of
the GNRI page 39 notes that a Mr Firth was in charge of locomotives
on the Ulster Railway from at least 1846..
Geoghegan, Samuel
Brewery Engineer at Arthur Guinness & Son's Brewery in Dublin
where he designed patent locomotives for internal use on the extensive narrow
gauge system. One was supplied by Avonside in 1882 and eighteen were built
by William Spence of Dublin between 1887 and 1921. Not in Marshall's main
work, but in his The Guinness
book of rail facts and feats, 1971 (pp233-5).
Papers
Description of tramways and rolling stock at Guinness's Brewery.
Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs., 1888,
39, 327-62
Glover, George Tertius
Marshall records
that Glover was born in London in the summer of 1870; and died Brampton,
Cumbria, 24 June 1953 aged 83. He was Locomotive Engineer of the GNR(I).
He was educated at Lancing College and the Royal School of Mines. He was
apprenticed with James Simpson & Co, London, and Neilson & Co, Glasgow.
In 1894 he entered the NER works at Gateshead as draughtsman
under W.M. Smith. He was later in the testing
and boiler inspection departments, and then with D. Bain at York Carriage
& Wagon works. In 1901 he was appointed manager of the C & W works
at Walker Gate. In 1903, under Vincent Raven, he was
given charge of all electric carriage stock on the Tynemouth
electrification, mechanical and electrical running and maintenance. He was
later appointed manager of Shildon wagon works, and in 1909 became locomotive
works manager, Gateshead.
In 1912 he was appointed Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Engineer on the GNR, Ireland as successor to Charles Clifford. He was elected MIME 1914. At the end of 1916 he was commissioned in the REs and was active in France as CME to the transportation scheme inaugurated by Sir E. Geddes, retiring as Hon Col in 1918: he was known as Colonel Glover thereafter. L.S. Simpson encountered him in France Glover introduced the use of the Schmidt superheater on GNR locos, his first engines being the five class S 4-4-0s, five class SG 0-6-0s and five class T 4-4-2Ts, all built by Beyer, Peacock in 1913. His class U mixed traffic 4-4-0s of 1915 were the first engines in Ireland to have the Robinson superheater. His finest engines were the S class V 3-cyl compound 4-4-0s of 1932 (KPJ: he must have worked with W.M. Smith at Gateshead: also electronic comm from Phil Atkins to note that J.W. Smith was probably still active at Gorton Works at about the time the compound design was being developed) for the Belfast to Dublin expresses. He retired in 1933 and went to live at Park Barn, Brampton, Cumberland.
According to Atkins there is a series of anonymous articles on North Eastern Railway locomotives written by Glover and published in The Engineer.
See: Engineering 176 17.7.1953 p 76; Cumberland News 4.7.1953 p 3
[G.T. Glover, Locomotive Engineer, G.N.R. (I).] Loco. Rly Carr.
Wagon Rev., 1933, 39, 226.
A biographical note to mark his retirement.
MODERN locomotives of the Great Northern Ry. of Ireland. Loco.
Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1933, 39,160-1; 179; 214-15; 252-4.8
illus.
A survey of the stock extant in 1933.
Murray, K. The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) past, present &
future. [Dublin], G.N.R. (I), 1944. xii, 148 p. + 72 plates. (mcI. 2
folding). 82 illus., diagr. table, map.
Includes chapters on locomotive development and on Dundalk Works.
Nock, O.S. Irish steam,
1982)
Chapter 2: Irish locomotive men.
Patterson, E.M. The Great Northern Railway
of Ireland. >
Rogers, H.C.B. The Great Northern Railway (Ireland). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon
Rev., 1948, 54, 141-3: 1949, 55, 6-8; 23-4; 104-6. 4 illus.
A locomotive history, with emphasis on 20th century
development.
Rutherford, Backtrack,
2006, 20, 552.
Godwin
First locomotive superintendent of the Belfast & County Down Railway
until 1854: see Patterson.
Grendon, Thomas
Owner of the Drogheda Iron
Works, sole major "private" Irish locomotive builder
Lowe..
Grierson, T.B.
Following John Wakefield's forced departure
in 1894 from the post of Locomotive Superintendent of the Dublin & South
Eastern Railway the Board decided that the Engineer, T.B. Grierson, should
handle both civil and mechanical engineering matters. He was responsible
for Kitsons supplying an 0-6-2T for freight duties which had an excessive
axle-load and from 17 December 1896 his activities were restricted to civil
engineering. He was succeeded by Richard Cronin.
See Shepherd.
Haigh, Thomas
Locomotive Superintendent Irish North Western Railway from 1870-1,
See Johnston's Great Northern
Railway. page 28.
Harden, Thomas
Locomotive Superintendent Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway from
1853 until 1872: he had formerly been William Dargan's agent, See
Johnston's Great Northern
Railway. page 28.
Harty, Arthur W.
CME GSR from 1932 to 1937. Marshall states born in Cork in 1872 and
does not quote death. Eductaed Queen's Collegiate School in Cork and joined
GSWR in that City in October 1894, but completed his apprenticeship under
Ivatt at Inchicore. He was very a much a running man and ran that side of
the Great Southern Railways from 1925.
[RETIREMENT of A.W. Harty]. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1937,
43, 121. illus. (port.)
Haughton, S.W.
Appointed Locomotive Superintendent of the Dublin & South Eastern
Railway on 7 October 1856 until his resignation in March 1864 when he was
presented with £400 and a free pass. Operator of proprietory locomotives.
After a brief spell under Williiam Meikle (he resigned through ill-health,
the post was occupied by John Wakefield.
See Shepherd
Howden, George Bruce
According to Hendry Howden had joined to North Eastern Railway, and
then served the LNER before becoming Civil Engineer of the GNR(I) from 1929.
He quickly gained a well-earned reputation as result of his management of
the rebuilding of the Boyne Viaduct without interruption to a single train.
Howden was instrumental in ensuring the building of the GNR Gardner buses
by the company went ahead despite misgivings from some members of the Board
most notably from Sir Lingard Goulding. He was responsible for locomotive
policy from 1933 to 1939 when he became General Manager.
McIntosh was responsible for day-to-day locomotive
matters at Dundalk during this period. Co-inventor of Howden-Merdith wheel:
steel railway rims over pneumatic tyres.
Rutherford, Backtrack, 2006,
20, 552.
Hendry adds more
by noting that from 1944 Howden became General Manager of the Belfast &
County Down Railway, but failed to save the railway from its virtual demise.
In 1948 he was responsible for ordering twenty diesel power cars from AEC/Park
Royal (the firm which had served the GWR so well) and these were used in
association with former steam stock, painted to conform to the smart blue
and cream livery, to rejuvenate the Dublin to Belfast service. He held the
post of General Manager of the company until the formation of the Great Northern
Railway Board in 1953 when he was appointed the Senior Board Member representing
Northern Ireland. Mr.John F.McCormick succeeded him as General Manager. A
measure of his esteem within Ireland is that George Howden from 1950 he also
served as General manager of Coras Iompair Eireann. He became Chairman of
the Ulster Transport Authority, finally retiring in 1963 to his home at Craigavad
County Down. He died in January 1966 in his seventy-fifth year (latter
part off Internet)..
424,945 Improvements in and relating to wheels for railway and tramway vehicles. with Richard Walsingham Meredith. Publshed 4 March 1935. Applied 22 August 1934.
Hume, John
Locomotive superintendent Belfast & County Down Railway between
1848 and 1855: see
Patterson.
Joynt, Ernest E.
Chief draughtsman at the Inchicore works of the GS&WR under Coey,
Maunsell and Watson. He was responsible for a long series of articles (which
are an important source for the history of locomotive development at
Inchicore):
Reminiscences of an Irish locomotive works. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1932, 38, 104-6; 138-40; 171-3; 202-3; 257-8; 285-6; 316-1 7; 367-8; 395-7; 426-8: 1933, 39, 52-3; 96-7; 127-8; 151-2; 180-1; 212-13; 274-6; 312-14; 340-2: 1934, 40, 24-6; 90. illus.
Atkins (Backtrack 11 396) has produced a very interesting articles concerning all four.
Leigh, Edward
Locomotive Superintendent of the Belfast & Ballymena (Northern
Counties) Railway between 1868 and 1875 (he had previously been with the
Newry & Armagh Railway). Acquired locomotives from Sharp Stewart and
Beyer Peacock. Rutherford:
Backtrack, 2006, 20, 552-63..
Livesey, Robert Henry
Father of Robert Martin: Patent:
2138/1895 Means for facilitating the transfer of goods between
railways of different gauges. Applied 30 January 1895. Published
9 November 1895.
Livesey, Robert Martin
Marshall: born in Caernarfon
in 1874 and died in Perth, Western Australia on 28 December 1944: Marshall
spells the Martin Martyn, but the patents use the "i" version!. Appointed
to replace Laverty to take charge of permanent way and locomotives of County
Donegal Joint Railway on 1 November 1906 at a salary of £300 per annum.
He was the son of Robert Henry Livesey formerly of the North Wales Narrow
Gauge Railway and the County Donegal Railway. He introduced superrheating
on the CDJR.. See
Patterson
Patents
8917/1915 Improvements in railway wagon
brakes. Applied 17 June 1915. Published 18 May 1916.
8916/1915 Improvements in and connected with railway sleepers.
Applied 17 June 1915. Published 4 May 1916.
12,928/1911 Improvements in forced feed lubricators. Applied
13 November 1911. Published 13 June 1912
McIntosh, Harold
According to e-mail from Phil Atkins was not related to
John McIntosh of the Caledonian Railway. Worked
for George Howden on GNR(I), but became Locomotive
Superintendent in 1939. Responsible for last 4-4-0 design anywhere and probably
for azure blue applied to GNR(I) locomotives which again according to Phil
was selected for its lack of sectarian associations.
Rutherford: Backtrack, 2006,
20, 552-63...
Malcolm, Bowman
Marshall states that
Malcolm was born in Chester in 1854 and died in Belfast on 3 January 1930
(latter date should probably be 1933: see references cited by Marshall and
Rutherford, Backtrack, 20,
552-63 (p.555)). He started in the locomotive engineer's office of the
Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in 1870 where according to
Currie he had no formal training, and in
1876 was appointed locomotive engineer at the early age of 22. In 1903 the
B & NC system was acquired by the Midland Railway which, in 1906,
appointed Malcolm as civil engineer as well as head of the locomotive department.
At the same time Malcolm became civil engineer of the County Donegal Railways.
He was responsible for the design and construction of the large bridge over
the River Bann at Coleraine on the Belfast & Londonderry line, though
it was not completed until after his retirement. He adopted the
Von Borries 2-cyl compound system, especially
on tank engines for the narrow gauge lines, which gave good results, partly
because of the use of Walschaerts valve gear
(see Scott: Rly Wld, 47,
454). He contributed to the discussion of Sauvage's paper on locomotive
practice in France Proc. Instn Mech.
Engrs., 1900, 59, 416..
Marshall claims he was the first locomotive
engineer to use the Ross 'pop' safety valve (according to Scott Ross was
a Coleraine man) which he fitted to 2-4-0 No 57 in 1908; and was also the
first British engineer to use high-capacity wagon stock, some 30 ton bogie
wagons being introduced on the BNCR in 1891. He retired in September 1922
after 52 years on railways. He was MIME, MICE and Member of ARLE.
Currie stated that "he was the most outstanding personality in the annals of the Northern Counties Railway, and famed throughout the world for the success of his compound locomotives. Malcolm was a stern disciplinarian and expected men to follow the high precepts of his own life. The notices he issued are often full of the virtues of temperance".
Portrait page 34 of Currie (Vol. 1)
Proc IME V 124 6.1933 pp 778 9; The Locomotive 2.1933 p 29; RM 9.1971 p 474
Melling, John
First locomotive superintendent D&KR.
See also elsewhere
Meredith, Richard Walsingham
Dick Meredith was appointed as GNRI Works Manager on January 1st 1926
following an earlier career with the Great Southern & Western Railway
at Inchicore Works, Dublin under R.E.L.Maunsell. Meredith was a keen proponent
of diesel engines and was the GNR official most clearly identified with the
development of railcars and railbuses in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The GNR buses produced at Dundalk were principally the creation of Dick Meredith
and he jointly patented with George Howden the steel/pneumatic railbus tyre
used on early GNRI railbuses. He was a quiet thoughtful man of great intellect
who enjoyed travelling and fishing in the River Dee near Dundalk. He was
appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GNR in the early 1950s. Retirement
came in 1957 when aged 65 and the break with all transport matters was absolute.
He died at his Dublin home in December 1971.
Miller, George Mackay
At time of death was locomotive superintendent GS&WR
Miller, R.G.
Locomotive Superintendent of the B&CDR from 1880 to 1919 (by which
time according to Patterson he was a bearded patriarch). He had been trained
at Crewe, and after working on the LNWR was sent to the Dundalk Newry and
Greenore Railway. (Nock, O.S. Irish steam,
1982). See also Patterson's The
Belfast & County Down Railway.
Morton, William Herbert
According to Marshall he was
born in Leeds on 7 December 1877 and was apprenticed at Kitson & Co.
and was also educated in engineering at Leeds University and at Leeds School
of Science & Technology. Locomotive Superintendent MGWR from 1915..
CME GSR from 1929 to1932.
Patents
with Cusack
9660. Applied 24 April 1912. Published 24 April 1913. Improvements
in or relating to superheaters for locomotives.
[APPOINTMENT of W.H. Morton as C.M.E., G.S.R.] Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon
Rev., 1929, 35, 161.
Moulang, Francis Daniel
F D Moulang was born in Clerkenwell, London in March 1874, the second
son of Daniel Moulang, a Dublin jeweller; Daniel and his family later returned
to his native Dublin where Francis Daniel was brought up. He was educated
first at Merchant Taylors’ School and later at the City of Dublin Technical
School where, in 1894, he was awarded the Mayor’s Prize. Moulang was
also Premium Apprentice and Draughtsman in the Locomotive and Carriage Works
at the Inchicore works of the Great Southern & Western Railway of Ireland.
In 1898 he was awarded a Whitworth Exhibition Scholarship – then worth
£50, one of the earliest Irishmen to receive one. He was married to
Sarah Fulcher in 1899 and they removed to England where he joined the locomotive
drawing office of the Midland Railway at Derby. There he assisted MR Chief
Mechanical Engineer in the design, operation and development of Midland
three-cylinder compound locomotives; actually superintending the making of
the patterns for the cylinders of the first five engines of this class and
of subsequent MR superheated classes. There is evidence that some experimental
work had been carried out on compound engines at Inchicore and this experience
may have influenced the nature of his employment on the Midland and later
the LMS.
In 1916, as a temporary wartime measure, he joined the motive power section in the capacity of District Locomotive Superintendent at Toton, but he never returned to the drawing office, becoming successively District Locomotive Superintendent at York (1921) and later at Buxton. In January 1930 he succeeded Bolderston as DLS at Wellingborough which by that time had both Bedford and Kettering as sub-depots.
Thorley (A Breath of Steam, 1975) paints a vivid picture of Francis Daniel Moulang, by that time (1930) aged 55, “of rubicund complexion, rolling gait and southern Ireland ancestry”. After more than forty years Thorley still regarded the arrival of this man as the greatest turning point in his life, “This strange man with his delightful Irish brogue” provided the means whereby Thorley himself began to realise the depth of his own ignorance on so many matters pertaining to locomotives. Thorley wrote, “Moulang was a Whitworth Exhibitioner and could bring a quality of mind and attitude to bear on engineering fundamentals which made everyone in the engineering world whom I had met so far appear rather dull by comparison”. This was not to belittle the great skill and knowledge of people like Thorley’s father and Gibson, who were both highly competent mechanics; but they did not always know why they achieved success by doing certain things in certain ways. Early in their relationship Moulang had asked Thorley about his aims, work and progress, giving Thorley the opportunity to confide fears of stagnation to someone who, it was felt, had a sympathetic appreciation of the aspirations of a young man. His comment had been quite brusque and brief: when told about taking the National Certificate examination in the following April, he had said: “Come and see me when you have passed and I will see what I can do for you”. Thorley did not speak to him again until he received notification in the following August that he had passed the NC examination. Moulang was as good as his word. “Thenceforward I had a training in motive power maintenance and running which was always interesting, often exciting but always directed to the things which mattered”.
Francis Daniel Moulang retired from the LMS in 1935. He died in May 1958.
Needham, R.
Locomotive Superintendent Irish North Western Railway from 1852 to
1858, See Johnston's Great Northern
Railway. page 28.
Ogilvie, R.
Briefly Locomotive Superintendent Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway:
1852-3: he resigned due to lack of equipment. See
Johnston's Great Northern
Railway.
Park, James Crawford
Marshall states that born in
Liverpool on 1 July 1838 and died in Dundalk (where he had established a
locomotive works in 1887) on 27 May 1895. Premium Apprentice Crewe 1855 to
1861 (Reed). Locomotive Superintendent Great Northern Railway (Ireland):
appointed 1880. Formerly Patrick Stirling's Chief Draughtsman at Doncaster.
Johnston entitles his chapter on Park:
Doncasterising the GNR(I). Manifestations of this extended to the combination
of apple green for the locomotives with teak for the carriages, and to the
general appearance of the locomotives. Responsible for 4-2-2 design introduced
in 1885. See also Rutherford,
Backtrack, 2006, 20, 434.
Fryer, Charles. Single wheeler locomotives. 1993. Chapter 3
Patrick, Malcolm
Locomotive engineer, NCC, 1933-46: see
Currie (v. 2)
Pemberton, Frederick
Locomotive Superintendent Irish North Western Railway from 1858 to
1870, See Johnston's Great Northern
Railway. page 28.
Pim, Richard
Second Locomotive Superintendent D&KR (1840-3)
(Lowe)
Rawlins, James
Locomotive Superintendent D&KR 1843-
(Lowe)
Rowland, Ellis
Appointed Locomotive Superintendent of Belfast & Ballymena Railway
in 1847. Currie Northern Counties Vol.
1..
Speir, Malcolm
According to Currie Speir instigated
the design of the W class 2-6-0 for the NCC (although clearly the detailed
design work was performed at Derby): see
Speir. Currie considered that Spier's treatment of
Stewart was deplorable..
Stewart, Hugh Percy
Marshall states that he was
born in 1870 and died in Belfast on 2 October 1933 aged 63. Grandson of Charles
Stewart, Secretary of the BNCR between 1857 and 1887. Began his career on
the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway, apprenticed to Bowman Malcolm
and regarded as Malcolm's "bright young man"
(Currie). After time at Harlands &
Wolff and as Engineer on Bates & Sons' steamers he returned to the NCC
in 1910 as works manager, Assistant Locomotive Engineer in 1915, and Engineer
and Locomotive Superintendent in 1930. He retired on 30 June 1933. According
to Currie he had not seen eye to eye with Spier..
OBITUARY [H.P. Stewart, Locomotive Superintendent, NCC]. Loco. Rly Carr.
Wagon Rev., 1933, 39,345.
Sutcliffe. Ingham
Locomotive Superintendent of the 3 ft gauge Londonderry & Lough
Swilly Railway from 1911 to 1914 and designer of the 4-8-4T locomotives (supplied
by Hudswell Clarke) which were intended for use on the Burtonport Extension.
Rly Wld, 43,
626. His application to join the ARLE in 1913 was turned down as the
LLSR was considered to be too small a railway.
(Hughes)
Thompson, John
Locomotive engineer, NCC: 1946-9: see
Currie (v. 2)
Wakefield, John
Appointed as eventual successor to Haughton as
Locomotive Superintendent of the Dublin & South Eastern Railway
(see Shepherd). Prior to that he must
have been at Inchicore as Colburn Plate 34 credits GS&WR 0-4-2 to John
Wakefield. Ahrons (British steam railway locomotive page 177) adds a 2-2-2.
Appointed in May 1865 at a salary of £350 per annum. Responsible for
building several locomotives at the Great Canal Street Workshops beginning
with three 2-2-2WTs for suburban services. Three more were built between
1877 and 1882. This was followed by a 2-4-0T. Wakefield design culminated
with a 2-4-2T of which No. 11 was St. Kevin. A searching enquiry in
1894 led to Wakefield being pensioned off. He was succeeded briefly by
Grierson and finally by Richard
Cronin.
Watson, Edward A.A.
Edward Abraham Augustus Watson was born in Clones County Monaghan
on 23 August, a son of the manse. He was educated partly at Portora School,
Enniskillen. His father became rector of Maguiresbridge. His engineering
education took place at the American Locomotive Company and on the Pennsylvania
Railroad at Altoona. In 1906 he became a piecework inspector in the carriage
works at Swindon, and within a year was an Assistant Works Manager under
F.W. Marrilier. According to Holcroft (via Atkins
(Backtrack 11 396)
was levered out of Swindon and became Works Manager at Inchicore where he
apparently irritated Maunsell about Great Western locomotive practice, about
which he must have known very little (as would become clear once he designed
his own locomotives). At the end of 1913 Watson took over from
Maunsell, and promptly cancelled work on existing
designs and started work on a 4-8-0T and a 4-6-0 draughted by George V.
Hutchinson, a Galway man. There were many delays to the introduction of the
4-6-0s by which time Joynt had either retired, or been
forced to do so by Watson. Watson "invented" a superheater (see below). Not
surprisingly, considering his geographical background, Watson was highly
hostile to Irish Nationalism, and in 1921 (perhaps as a replacement for
Clayton, whom Maunsell was eager to retain) Watson
became General Manager of Beyer Peacock, established himself with his wife
in a substantial Cheshire mansion, when it was discovered that he had stomach
cancer and died very quickly, aged 41. R.H.
Whitelegg succeeded him at Beyer Peacock. At Inchicore
John Bazin succeeded Watson and was forced to attempt
to improve the Watson 4-6-0s.
Patents
BP 111,576 6 December 1917.
Watson, L.J.
Joined the GNR(I) in 1879 and was Chief Draughtsman at Dundalk Works
from 1892 until 1933. Portrait on page 68
of Johnston.
Wild, George
Succeeded Cronin in 1917. Came from GNR(I) at Derry (Londonderry).
Responsible for 2-6-0s supplied by Beyer Peacock in 1922.
Yorston, Alexander
Locomotive Superintendent of the Belfast & Ballymena Railway/Belfast
& Northern Counties Railway from 1849 to 1868.
See Currie who noted that "He was ageing
and he did not leave the locomotive stock in any too good order". According
to Sekon (Evolution of the steam
locomotive) Yorston devised a mid-feather firebox for burning coal
which was patented by Sharp Stewart in 1855. (requires checking at BL). He
was followed (briefly) by Robert Finlay or by
by Edward Leigh.
2008-03-12