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Kevin Jones' Steam Index

Stratford engineers and draughtsmen

See Locomotive Mag., 1906, 12, 16: Reunion Dinner of Locomotive Department, G.E.R. 16. illus.
Held in the Abercorn Rooms within the Liverpool Street Station Hotel on 8 December 1911. Photograph shows the 49 present with a key to identify those present with James Holden: W.E. Dalby, A.J. Hill, G. Elliot, W. Collingwood, George Winmill, J.H.B. Jemkins, E. Winmill, J. Pollock, J. Wild, J. Cookson, J. Abbott, A.P.Turner, C.W.L. Glaze, A.W. Polley, H. Rudland, J.C. Mannooch, C.A. Robinson, J. Wilson, A. Lansdell, F. Duce, R.L. Soper, J.B. Corrie, T.W. Ford, E.F. Elliot, T.O. Mein, W. Pickersgill, R.H. Haylock, M.A. Selaverani, W.F. Pettigrew, D. Gillies, F.W. Dodd, C. Watchhurst, C. Adams, A.C. Kelly, L. Simpson, F.V. Russell, J.H. Adams, J.H. Bowles, L. Meyrick-Jones, H.W.C. Drury, H. Haylock, A.G. Herbert, Henry Parker, A.P. Parker, W.D. Craig, J.W. Howard, G. Macallan, G.B. Lawrence.

Craig, W.D.
Born in Shrewsbury in 1842 and became a pupil at Gorton Foundry in 1859; continuing with Beyer Peacock as a draughtsman until 1866 when he obtained a position at Stratford under S.W. Johnson. Chief locomotive draughtsman from about 1881 until 1907 when he retired. Died in 1934. Obituary Locomotive Mag., 1934, 40, 328..

Damant, Arthur Charles Claud
Very early member ILocoE: continued to attend dinners until 1940s

Darby, Alfred Thomas
Died on 31 January 1917, in his seventy-third year. Formerly foreman of the locomotive erecting shop at Stratford. He served his apprenticeship at Stratford, and afterwards worked for a time at Reading, and under Martin Atock at the Waterford and Limerick Railway shops at Limerick. He re-entered the G.E. service in 1875, and was for some years in charge of the locomotive weigh-bridge. In 1888 he was appointed assistant foreman of the Round Shed repair shop, and in 1896 became head foreman of the erecting shop, a position he held until the close of 1905,when he retired.See Locomotive Mag., 1917, 23, 62.

Drury, H.W.C.  
Moved from Doncaster District to Cambridge (move noted in Locomotive Mag., 1913, 19, 2)

Duce, E.  
To take over Doncaster, including responsibility for York and Lincoln (move noted in Locomotive Mag., 1913, 19, 2) .

Elwell, C.H.M.
Apprenticed under James Holden at Stratford Works; following which he became a locomtive running inspector. During WW1 he was involved in munitions manufacture at Stratford. He became Locomotive Running Superintendent of the LNER Southernv Area and in 1938 Locomotive Running Superintendent of the Eastern Section,

English, A.E.
Senior Tecnical Assistant to the Mechanical Engineer, Stratford, LNER. "fount of knowledge, experience and ingenuity... and greatly respected by Sir Nigel Gresley". Hardy Steam in the blood.. Hardy (Steam Wld, 1992 (59) 6) notes that English was the true architect of the D16 and B12 rebuilds

Farmer, John
Stratford apprentice who gained an LNER Scholarship to Queen Mary College and enjoyed work in the Doncaster Works during vacations. See Rly Wld, 1982, 43, 593 *and Rly Mag., 1988, 129, 306-8.

Gillies, M.
Works Manager, Stratford: in-charge of locomotive stock following resignation of Massey Bromley.

Glaze, C.W.L.
On the appointment of A. J. Hill as locomotive superintendent in 1912 (Locomotive Mag., 1912, 18, 249) Glaze became manager of the Stratford Works He had been London district locomotive superintendent for several years. He was still Works Manager at Stratford under Gresley until 1930.

Hilton, H.F.
Hilton was an acknowledged authority on the old G.E.R., having been at one time District Locomotive Superintendent at Cambridge, (move noted in Locomotive Mag., 1913, 19, 2) at Stratford, and Assistant to the Superintendent of Operation, and when he retired Assistant to the Running Superintendent, LNER. Author of the Eastern Union Railway. See Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1947, 53, 46.

Macallan, George
Born at Eddleston near Peebles on 15 December 1837. Educated at the Scottish Central Schools in London. Introduced to J.V. Gooch via Lord Berriedale and started at Stratford in 1854. For a time inspected wagon axles produced for company by firm in Staffordshire. In 1864 in conjuction with W.H. Maw and Zerah Colburn he assisted with trials of No, 284 fitted with Richard's steam indicator. Between 1866 and 1875 he was District Locomotive Superintendent at Cambridge and after a period as chief erecting shop foreman he became Works Manager Stratford. He died at Widdington on 28 May 1913. (Ellis Twenty locomotive men: see anecdote concerning Worsdell). Inventor of eponymous blastpipe used on Great Eastern locomotives. See Ahrons' British steam railway locomotive p. 310. Harvey's Bill Harvey's 60 years in steam spells the surname "McCallan" on page 116 but gives an excellent description of the blast softener or cap. Obituary Loco. Rly Mag., 1913, 19, 129. Highly biographical letter in Loco. Mag., 1905, 11, 90 with specific reference to Enfield light locomotive..
Patent
10460/1905. An improved spark arrester for locomotive and other high pressure engines. Applied: 18 May 1905. Published 1 February 1906
An earlier device, presumably patented was the variable blast-pipe which Tupln describes on p. 47 of his Steam locomotive:

The MacAllan blast-pipe cap was mounted on a rod that extended across the smoke-box close to the top of the blast-pipe, but clear of the steam that came from it. When it was judged advantageous to use a smaller blast orifice, the rod was rotated (by a crank linked to a lever in the cab) to turn the cap through a right angle and to place it firmly on the fixed blast nozzle. The device was an official mechanised version of the engine-man's unofficial restrictor. It had to be clearly understood that movement of the cap whilst steam was coming from the blast pipe was highly dangerous because during transition the cap might direct steam into the tubes and then flames would be forced into the cab even past the edges of a closed' fire-door.

McDermid, William Francis
Born 10 July 1872. Spent his whole career in Stratford Works of GER: became a draughtsman in the Works Plant & Machinery Office in July 1898, and took charge of Office in 1911. He was appointed Chief Draughtsman at Stratford in 1926. Retired in 1933. Wrote papers for Instn Loco. Engrs on the blast pipe: Papers No. 291 and 300 and Paper 337 on brakes for streamlined (high speed) vehicles. Died on 2 April 1956. Obituary: J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1955, 45, 701...

Mein, Thomas Oliver
Assistant Manager Locomotive Works. Hon. Secretary GER Ambulance Corps. Locomotive Mag., 1908, 14, 9. Must have been Works Manager in 1930 when succeeded by S.L.Baister (Locomotive Mag., 1930, 36, 308).

Neale, Deodatus Hilin

Perry, George
Died at Hereford on 17 August 1936 his 82nd year. He was born at Stratford and joined the Great Eastern Railway at Liverpool Street in 1870. The following year he started in the- shops at Stratford under S. W. J ohnson, locomotive supt., and remained there until his retirement as a foreman in the erecting fitting shop in 1918. His father was one of the original employees of the old Eastern Counties Railway when the locomotive shops were at Romford prior to their removal to Stratford. Although not so well known by the present generation he was always popular with those he came in contact with and many of the pupils and apprentices under his charge who left the company to take up, positions at home or abroad will have pleasant memories. His interest in and knowledge of early locomotive history was very comprehensive and his wonderful memory was of great assistance when compiling the articles describing the early locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway which appeared in  the Locomotive Mag.. In his earlier days he devoted a. lot of time to music having a fine tenor voice and often appeared at concerts given at the G.E.R. Institute and at various functions throughout the Eastern Counties.See Locomotive Mag., 1936, 42, 300

Tiddeman, Edmund Spencer
Obituary died 14 October 1937 (Loco. Carr. Wagon Rev., 1937, 43, 367): formerly chief draughtsman of the locomotive department. Pupil of T.W. Worsdell from 1882. Transferred to Drawing Office in 1890 and succeeded W.D. Craig as Chief Draughtsman in 1907. Retired in 1926 (Locomotive Mag., 1926, 32, 271). Inventor of water level indicator, spark arrester and a train control system.

Wild, James Vaux
See Locomotive Mag., 1907, 13, 59: for retirement presentation after 32 years as foreman of the machine shop.