Edward Thompson (engineer)
Encyclopedia
Edward Thompson was Chief Mechanical Engineer
of the London and North Eastern Railway
between 1941 and 1946.
. He was educated at Marlborough before taking the Mechanical Science Tripos at Pembroke College, Cambridge
. Thompson's academic background contrasts with that of his predecessor Nigel Gresley
, who had also attended Marlborough, but then gained practical experience as a pupil at Horwich Works
. After graduation Thompson worked in both industry and the railways for a while. By 1910 he was assistant divisional locomotive superintendent on the North Eastern Railway, in which capacity he gave evidence at the inquiry into the fatal accident between two goods trains at Darlington on 15 November 1910. In 1912 he was appointed Carriage and Wagon Superintendent for Great Northern Railway
(GNR). He remained at this post for 18 years until he became Workshop Manager at Stratford works in 1930. This was his final post before becoming CME of LNER in 1941 after the death of Nigel Gresley. Edward Thompson retired from the post of CME in 1946.
It is widely known that Gresley and Thompson disagreed on a number of matters. Many have interpreted this bitterness as NER
(Thompson) versus GNR (Gresley). Thompson was the son-in-law of Sir Vincent Raven (the final CME of the NER
). The biggest dispute between them was on Gresley’s 3-cylinder conjugated valve gear. This valve gear arrangement worked well during peacetime but experienced problems due to low maintenance during the Second World War
, giving Thompson some justification for his criticism of the design.
, V2 Prairie
and A1 Pacific
locomotives. The A1 chosen for rebuilding was Great Northern, this being the original Gresley prototype for the class. Some have stated that this rebuild resulted from Thompson's vindictiveness towards his former chief.
While Thompson criticised many of Gresley’s practices, equivalent comment can be made about many of Thompson’s designs. His Pacific rebuilds were not the best designs. They all retained three cylinders, but with divided drive
and 3 sets of independent Walschaerts valve gear. Thompson attached great importance to having the connecting rods equal in length, which was in fact unnecessary. As a result the outside cylinders were placed behind the front bogie
with the inside cylinder well forward. This gave the engine an unnecessarily long wheelbase, created long exhaust channels and encouraged flexing and fracture of the locomotive frame
s. All of his Pacifics were particularly prone to wheel slip
. The problems with Thompson's Pacifics were such that they were withdrawn and scrapped before many of their older counterparts.
Thompson omitted the "banjo dome" that had featured on the Gresley Pacifics since 1928. However, Thompson's successor, Arthur Peppercorn
, revived the feature on the remaining batches of LNER Pacifics.
Thompson’s class L1
Adriatic
suburban tank locomotive
s were another unsuccessful design. They were powerful machines that should have been well-suited to their duties but their 5 ft 2 inch wheels were too small for the fast outer suburban services and they quickly knocked themselves apart. The axle boxes suffered, water tanks split, oil pipes broke off, and crossheads wore rapidly.
On the other hand Thompson built one of the most successful LNER designs, the class B1
4-6-0
, which was a simple two-cylinder design mixed traffic engine. The B1 was based loosely on Gresley's class B17
. The prototype
for the B1 was a B17/1 modified with a higher pressure boiler and with its centre cylinder removed. More than 400 B1's were built between 1946 and 1952, British Rail
ways having continued B1 production after nationalisation
. The boiler used in the class formed the basis for the rebuilding of many pre-grouping classes, including the class O4
2-8-0
freight locos. The Thompson B1 equalled the LMS Black Five
locomotives during inter-regional exchange trials in the early years of British Railways. The B1 was also cheaper to build than the Black Five.
The B1 had poor and very inconsistent ride quality, unlike the relatively smooth riding qualities of Gresley designs. Poor riding remains a characteristic of B1's that have been preserved.
Thompson improved passenger safety by introducing steel
-bodied coaches to the LNER. Hitherto the LNER had Gresley-designed coaches, the most famous of which had Teak
bodies but by 1940's standards these were considered insufficiently safe in a collision. Therefore during the Second World War
Thompson designed new all-steel coaches that became a forerunner of British Railways Mark 1
design.
Shortly before Thompson's retirement the LNER was short of express passenger locomotives so Thompson initiated plans for a new Pacific design, which he intended to be based on the rebuilt Great Northern. However the LNER design office, having received reports of Great Northerns performance in service, continually delayed designing the locomotive until Thompson had retired. Even then Thompson laid down a strict set of guidelines for the new loco's. The new class (LNER Class A1
) was finally designed under Thompson's successor Arthur Peppercorn, who disregarded almost all of Thompson's guidelines.
Thompson retired from the LNER in 1946 and died in 1954.
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent are titles applied by British, Australian, and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock...
of the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
between 1941 and 1946.
Biography
Edward Thompson was the son of an assistant master at Marlborough CollegeMarlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
. He was educated at Marlborough before taking the Mechanical Science Tripos at Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
. Thompson's academic background contrasts with that of his predecessor Nigel Gresley
Nigel Gresley
Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway . He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4...
, who had also attended Marlborough, but then gained practical experience as a pupil at Horwich Works
Horwich Works
Horwich Works was a railway works built in 1886 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in Horwich, near Bolton, in the North West of England when the company moved from its original works at Miles Platting, Manchester.-Buildings:...
. After graduation Thompson worked in both industry and the railways for a while. By 1910 he was assistant divisional locomotive superintendent on the North Eastern Railway, in which capacity he gave evidence at the inquiry into the fatal accident between two goods trains at Darlington on 15 November 1910. In 1912 he was appointed Carriage and Wagon Superintendent for Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR). He remained at this post for 18 years until he became Workshop Manager at Stratford works in 1930. This was his final post before becoming CME of LNER in 1941 after the death of Nigel Gresley. Edward Thompson retired from the post of CME in 1946.
It is widely known that Gresley and Thompson disagreed on a number of matters. Many have interpreted this bitterness as NER
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
(Thompson) versus GNR (Gresley). Thompson was the son-in-law of Sir Vincent Raven (the final CME of the NER
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
). The biggest dispute between them was on Gresley’s 3-cylinder conjugated valve gear. This valve gear arrangement worked well during peacetime but experienced problems due to low maintenance during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, giving Thompson some justification for his criticism of the design.
Practices
When Thompson was appointed CME of the LNER he started a much needed standardisation programme. This programme demonstrated Thompson's dislike for Gresley’s engineering practices. Many notable Gresley designs were rebuilt under this practice including the P2 MikadoLNER Class P2
The London and North Eastern Railway Class P2 was a class of 2-8-2 steam locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for working heavy express trains over the harsh Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line...
, V2 Prairie
LNER Class V2
The London and North Eastern Railway Class V2 2-6-2 steam locomotives were designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for express mixed traffic work, and built between 1936–1944. The best known is the first of the class, 4771 Green Arrow, which is the only preserved example.-Construction:The V2s were the only...
and A1 Pacific
LNER Class A1/A3
The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley...
locomotives. The A1 chosen for rebuilding was Great Northern, this being the original Gresley prototype for the class. Some have stated that this rebuild resulted from Thompson's vindictiveness towards his former chief.
While Thompson criticised many of Gresley’s practices, equivalent comment can be made about many of Thompson’s designs. His Pacific rebuilds were not the best designs. They all retained three cylinders, but with divided drive
Divided drive (locomotive)
A divided drive locomotive is a steam locomotive that divides the driving force on its wheels by using different cylinders to power different pairs of driving wheels in order to give better weight distribution and reduce "hammer blow" which can be damaging to the track, or else to enable the wider...
and 3 sets of independent Walschaerts valve gear. Thompson attached great importance to having the connecting rods equal in length, which was in fact unnecessary. As a result the outside cylinders were placed behind the front bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
with the inside cylinder well forward. This gave the engine an unnecessarily long wheelbase, created long exhaust channels and encouraged flexing and fracture of the locomotive frame
Locomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind...
s. All of his Pacifics were particularly prone to wheel slip
Slippery rail
Slippery rail is a condition of railways caused by fallen moist leaves that lie on and cling to the top surface of the rails of railway tracks. The condition results in significant loss of friction between train wheels and rails, and in extreme cases can render the track temporarily unusable...
. The problems with Thompson's Pacifics were such that they were withdrawn and scrapped before many of their older counterparts.
Thompson omitted the "banjo dome" that had featured on the Gresley Pacifics since 1928. However, Thompson's successor, Arthur Peppercorn
Arthur Peppercorn
Arthur Henry Peppercorn, OBE was the last Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway.- Career :...
, revived the feature on the remaining batches of LNER Pacifics.
Thompson’s class L1
LNER Thompson Class L1
The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class L1 was a class of 2-6-4T steam locomotives designed by Edward Thompson. The prototype no. 9000 was built in 1945, but the remaining 99 were built under British Railways jurisdiction in the period 1948-1950...
Adriatic
2-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-6-4 locomotive has two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels...
suburban tank locomotive
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
s were another unsuccessful design. They were powerful machines that should have been well-suited to their duties but their 5 ft 2 inch wheels were too small for the fast outer suburban services and they quickly knocked themselves apart. The axle boxes suffered, water tanks split, oil pipes broke off, and crossheads wore rapidly.
On the other hand Thompson built one of the most successful LNER designs, the class B1
LNER Thompson Class B1
The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed for medium mixed traffic work. It was designed by Edward Thompson.- Overview :...
4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
, which was a simple two-cylinder design mixed traffic engine. The B1 was based loosely on Gresley's class B17
LNER Class B17
The London and North Eastern Railway Class B17, also known as "Sandringham" or "Footballer" class was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for hauling passenger services on the Great Eastern Main Line...
. The prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
for the B1 was a B17/1 modified with a higher pressure boiler and with its centre cylinder removed. More than 400 B1's were built between 1946 and 1952, British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways having continued B1 production after nationalisation
Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
. The boiler used in the class formed the basis for the rebuilding of many pre-grouping classes, including the class O4
LNER Class O4
The London and North Eastern Railway Class O4 initially consisted of the 131 ex-Great Central Railway Class 8K 2-8-0 steam locomotives acquired on grouping in 1923. The engines were designed by John G...
2-8-0
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
freight locos. The Thompson B1 equalled the LMS Black Five
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's Class 5 4-6-0, almost universally known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotive. It was introduced by William Stanier in 1934 and 842 were built between then and 1951...
locomotives during inter-regional exchange trials in the early years of British Railways. The B1 was also cheaper to build than the Black Five.
The B1 had poor and very inconsistent ride quality, unlike the relatively smooth riding qualities of Gresley designs. Poor riding remains a characteristic of B1's that have been preserved.
Thompson improved passenger safety by introducing steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
-bodied coaches to the LNER. Hitherto the LNER had Gresley-designed coaches, the most famous of which had Teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
bodies but by 1940's standards these were considered insufficiently safe in a collision. Therefore during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Thompson designed new all-steel coaches that became a forerunner of British Railways Mark 1
British Railways Mark 1
British Railways Mark 1 was the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways. Following nationalisation in 1948, BR had continued to build carriages to the designs of the "Big Four" companies , and the Mark 1 was intended to be the...
design.
Shortly before Thompson's retirement the LNER was short of express passenger locomotives so Thompson initiated plans for a new Pacific design, which he intended to be based on the rebuilt Great Northern. However the LNER design office, having received reports of Great Northerns performance in service, continually delayed designing the locomotive until Thompson had retired. Even then Thompson laid down a strict set of guidelines for the new loco's. The new class (LNER Class A1
LNER Peppercorn Class A1
The London and North Eastern Railway Peppercorn Class A1 is a type of express passenger steam locomotive. Forty-nine original Peppercorn Class A1s were built to the design of Arthur Peppercorn during the early British Railways era, but all were scrapped with the discontinuation of steam,...
) was finally designed under Thompson's successor Arthur Peppercorn, who disregarded almost all of Thompson's guidelines.
Thompson retired from the LNER in 1946 and died in 1954.
Locomotives
- Thompson A1/1LNER Thompson Class A1/1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class A1/1 was started in 1945 when a Class A1 went into the works for rebuilding in to the A1/1....
- Thompson A2/1LNER Thompson Class A2/1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class A2/1 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives. They were originally ordered as Class V2 locomotives, as designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, but were revised during construction into a 4-6-2 'Pacific' arrangement under the instruction of Edward Thompson...
- Thompson A2/2LNER Thompson Class A2/2The London and North Eastern Railway Class A2/2 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives. The A2/2 were former members of Sir Nigel Gresley’s P2 Class of eight-coupled express passenger locomotives. Edward Thompson was appointed on the 28 April 1941 and decided to gain experience by rebuilding the...
- Thompson A2/3LNER Thompson Class A2/3The London and North Eastern Railway Class A2/3 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives.They were newly constructed locomotives, fulfilling the requirement identified by Edward Thompson for a standard express passenger locomotive of the 4-6-2 arrangement with 6ft 2in driving wheels...
- Thompson B1LNER Thompson Class B1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed for medium mixed traffic work. It was designed by Edward Thompson.- Overview :...
- Thompson B2LNER Thompson Class B2The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B2 was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. It was introduced in 1945 as a two-cylinder rebuild of the three-cylinder LNER Class B17. Ten were rebuilt from Class B17 but no more were rebuilt because of the success of the LNER Thompson Class B1...
- Thompson K1
- Thompson L1LNER Thompson Class L1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class L1 was a class of 2-6-4T steam locomotives designed by Edward Thompson. The prototype no. 9000 was built in 1945, but the remaining 99 were built under British Railways jurisdiction in the period 1948-1950...
- Thompson O1LNER Thompson Class O1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class O1 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotive designed by Edward Thompson for freight work...
External links
- http://www.lner.info/eng/thompson.shtml
- Thompson & Peppercorn at www.steamindex.com