THE BRITISH OVERSEAS RAILWAYS HISTORICAL TRUST   A UK Registered Educational Charity

Kevin Jones' Steam Index

Henry Albert Hoy

Marshall states that Hoy was born in London on 13 January 1855 and died at Fallowfield, Manchester, 24 May 1910. He was the son of an accountant. He was a locomotive and electrical engineer. He was highly inventive. He was educated at the King Edward VI Grammar School in St Albans, and St John's College, Liverpool. In 1872 he began an apprenticeship under Webb at Crewe, LNWR. In 1877, after an accident at Wigan, he made a model of the trackwork for the inquiry, and he also made other models for Webb including an interlocking device for points and signals. In 1878 he transferred to the drawing office where he spent much time on designs for continuous brakes. In 1884 he was appointed outdoor assistant in the LYR locomotive department under Barton Wright at Miles Platting, Manchester. In 1885 he became works manager, and in 1886 under Aspinall he became works manager at the new works at Horwich, then still under construction. Hoy was responsible for the decision to manufacture the entire electrical apparatus for the LYR at Horwich. High-speed direct-coupled steam dynamos (Engineer, 1903, 30 January, 124-5 via Grifiths), electrical cranes and capstans, all of his design, were built under his supervision. Whilst works manager he produced several inventions in railway electrical apparatus including electric signalling and interlocking.

When Aspinall was appointed General Manager Hoy became CME. His principal work was the design of all apparatus for the electrification of the Liverpool to Southport line, including the motor bogies (see Engineering, 1904, 7 October, 408-9 according to Griffiths). Only one new steam locomotive design was produced under Hoy's supervision, the barely successful 2-6-2T. The first appeared in October 1903 and 20 were built in 1903-4. They were powerful but troublesome engines and were not popular. Nevertheless, they were intended to be competitive with electric traction. He also experimented with boilers with corrugated steel stay-less fireboxes, fitted to 21 0-8-0s in 1902-3, following 2 boiler explosions resulting from stay fractures. The boilers were poor steamers, and the fireboxes became distorted. Another experiment was the fitting of the Druitt Halpin thermal storage apparatus to six Aspinall 2-4-2Ts. Economies were overruled by sedimentation troubles and the apparatus was soon removed.

Early in 1904 Hoy resigned from the LYR to become general manager of Beyer Peacock & Co, Manchester, where he reorganised the works, but he died after only six years. He was there during the development of the Beyer Garratt: and his contribution to this seminal development probably has not been recognized. He was elected MIME in 1891 and AICE also in 1891, MICE in 1907. Also a member of the Iron & Steel Institute and president of the Manchester & District Engineering Employers Federation.

See Mason, Eric The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in the 20th century 1961 pp 130 3; Marshall, John, The Lancashire & Yorkshire R V 3 1972 pp 147 57.)

Min Proc ICE V 182 1909 10 p 327;
Proc IME 5.1910 p 778; The Eng V 109, 25.5. 1910

See also Robin Pennie. Druitt Halpin variations. Lancashire & Yotkshire Railway [Journal]
Brief biography and Hoy's involvement in this attempt at energy storage

Patents

22380/1908 An improved grinding machine. Published 12 August 1909. Applied 22 October 1908.
13203/1907 Improvements in grinding, abrading and polishing machines. Published 23 April 1908. Applied 7 June 1907.
945/1906 Improvements in means for applying chills for hardening and toughening the interior surfaces of cylinders, tubes and the like. Published 12 April 1906. Applied  13 January 1906.
11874/1905 Improvements in boilers. with Beyer Peacock Co. Ltd. Published 8 March 1906. Applied  6 June 1905.
6196/1905. Improvements in steering gear for self-propelled vehicles. with Beyer Peacock Co. Ltd. Published  14 September 1905. Applied  23 March 1905.
6820/1904. Improvements in safety valves. Published 17 November 1904. Applied  21 March 1904.
11837/1903. Improvements in bogie trucks for rolling stock. Published 31 December 1903. Applied  23 May 1903.