THE BRITISH OVERSEAS RAILWAYS HISTORICAL TRUST   A UK Registered Educational Charity

The Sykes Family

William Robert
Marshall notes that Sykes was born in London in April 1840 and died in Whitstable on 2 October 1917. He was the inventor of the lock & block signalling system. Floyd (Rly Mag, 1, 141) notes that he had "a dry fund of humour". In 1854 he was working for the Electric & International Telegraph Co. In 1861 he moved to Shepherds, an electric clock & chronograph maker. In 1863 he joined the LCDR under the telegraph superintendent, Mr Ruddall. By 1897 he had 25 patents which included (1865) the hand lamp showing red green or white lights known as "Clarke's Lamp" was invented by Sykes; in 1872 treadles for automatic signalling (but article states was invented by Richardson for the ECR in 1848; in 1875 a device for linking signal cabins; in 1880 the lock & block system; a signal selector (several signals operated by one lever) and electric fouling bar. Nock, O.S. Railway enthusuast's encyclopedia. Portrait with Willfred Acfield c1910 in Warburton, L.G. and Instone, Reg. LMS signals No. 14 – The organization of the signal and telegraph departments on the LMS Railway. LMS Journal, 2006 (15), 13-27.:. Patents listed in Vanns (Page 26) and relate to lock and block.

Patents
662/1875
1907/1880
Carpenter, George W. biography Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Frederick Henry
Patent below was presumably SYX system described by F.J. Hookham in J. Instn Loco Engrs Paper No, 181.
Patents
1890/1896 Improvements in railway fog signalling apparatus. Applied 27 January 1896. Published 10 October 1896.

Joseph Charles
Born in 1871: died 5 January 1930 at his home in Dulwich.. Educated King's College School and King's College, Lomdon. Pupil of William Kirtley on LCDR at Longhedge. In 1897 he became Assistant Works Manager at W.R. Sykes, and was Managing Director from 1910. He was Honourary General Secretary of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers from 1923 until his death and was a key figure in developing the Institution. Obituary with portrait. J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1931, 21, 3-4. Father of William Joseph Arnold Sykes. Present in group photograph taken at Railway Centenary in Darlington: J. Instn Loco, Engrs, 1925, 15, 576

William Joseph Arnold
Born on 1 August 1907 in Camberwell, London. Father, Joseph Charles Sykes was Managing Director of Railway Signalling Company. Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, Southern Region. Author of several papers. Innovator of mixed traction systems and push & pull working at high speeds. Won George Stephenson Prize. Awarded OBE  (New Year's Honours 1968). Died 1 March 1986,

Papers (Institution of Locomotive Engineers)
Operating experience with the diesel electric train sets on the Hastings service of the Southern Region. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1960, 50, 434-57. Disc.: 457-85. (Paper No. 611)
The electro-diesel locomotive. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1963, 53, 40-67. Disc.: 67-94 (Paper No. 642)
High-speed propelling of trains on the Southern Region, British Railways. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1965, 55, 154-95. (Paper No. 666)
The Bournemouth electrification. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1968, 58, 445-88. (Paper No. 710)

Other papers
Electric locomotives of British Railways. Electric Railway Traction Convention. J.IEE., 1950, 319-20
Technical limitations of conventional railways. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs., 1966, 181, Part 3G: 8-12.
Southern Region electrification. Proc. IEEE, 1962, 109, 359-78

Contributions to discussion
On Brown in Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs. 1961, 175, 282