Robert Absalom Thom
Encyclopedia
Robert Absalom Thom was the final Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
, and became a key figure in the locomotive departments of the company's successors, the Great Central Railway
and the London & North Eastern Railway
.
in Aberdeen, where he received a technical education, before being apprenticed in 1888 to the Great North of Scotland Railway
(GNoSR) at their locomotive works at Kittybrewster, just outside Aberdeen. On completion of his apprenticeship in 1893, he became an inspector and then deputy works foreman. He left the GNoSR in 1898, moving to the Neasden works of the Metropolitan Railway
, where he was foreman; but he did not stay long, moving to join Thomas Beeley & Sons at Hyde Junction, east of Manchester, as works foreman.
On 24 October 1902, he became the Locomotive Inspector of the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
(LDECR), at their Tuxford locomotive works; the post was later renamed Locomotive Superintendent, and in mid 1906 his yearly salary was £350.
The LDECR was absorbed by the Great Central Railway
(GCR) at the start of 1907, and he transferred to the GCR's Gorton locomotive works
to work as Assistant to the locomotive superintendent John G. Robinson. At the start of 1923, the GCR was a constituent of the London & North Eastern Railway
(LNER), and in the new organisation he was appointed District Mechanical Engineer for the former GC section. One of his tasks was to produce a scheme for the renumbering of the former GCR and GNoSR locomotives within the block of LNER numbers which ran from 5000 to 6999. In this he was assisted by Thomas E. Heywood, the former Locomotive Superintendent of the GNoSR, who was now Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Running Superintendent, LNER (Northern Scottish Area). The GCR locos took numbers between 5001 and 6494, and the scheme adopted for the GNoSR locomotives was that 6800 should be added to the former GNoSR numbers.
The LNER was a very devolved organisation. At the very top level, there were officers whose duties covered the LNER as a whole - such as Nigel Gresley
, who was Chief Mechanical Engineer
of the LNER (and based at ) - but below this, matters were dealt with on a very much more local basis. The LNER was divided into areas and sections, each of which corresponded with one or two of the larger pre-grouping companies. Each of these had its own Area Mechanical Engineer, or equivalent post, whose headquarters was at one of the main workshops, such as Cowlairs
or Doncaster
.
In 1924, Thom became Mechanical Engineer of the LNER's Scottish Area, and in 1927 became Mechanical Engineer, Doncaster. In both of these promotions, his replacement was Thomas Heywood, mentioned earlier in connection with the renumbering. From 1 January 1934 Thom's duties expanded when his post was combined with that of Mechanical Engineer, Stratford, becoming Mechanical Engineer for the Southern Area of the LNER. He retired in 1938, and his former post was then split again: the new Mechanical Engineer, Doncaster was Edward Thompson
, whilst F.W. Carr became Mechanical Engineer, Stratford.
Thom was responsible for only one new design of locomotive, the large Class D
0-6-4T
, nine of which were built between March 1904 and December 1906 for use on the coal trains which ran from the coalfield in northern Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to the docks at Grimsby and Immingham. These became LNER class M1, and were withdrawn between 1939 and 1947. They were direct predecessors of the GCR Class 1B
2-6-4T
introduced in 1914, upon which Thom assisted Robinson with the design work.
He died at Ilkley on 2 November 1955.
Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway was a British railway company built toward the end of the era of British railway construction. It opened its line from Chesterfield to Lincoln in 1897....
, and became a key figure in the locomotive departments of the company's successors, the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
and the London & 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...
.
Biography
Thom was born at Aberdeen on 14 June 1873. He attended Robert Gordon's CollegeRobert Gordon's College
Robert Gordon's College is a private co-educational day school in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery-S6.-History:...
in Aberdeen, where he received a technical education, before being apprenticed in 1888 to the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
(GNoSR) at their locomotive works at Kittybrewster, just outside Aberdeen. On completion of his apprenticeship in 1893, he became an inspector and then deputy works foreman. He left the GNoSR in 1898, moving to the Neasden works of the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
, where he was foreman; but he did not stay long, moving to join Thomas Beeley & Sons at Hyde Junction, east of Manchester, as works foreman.
On 24 October 1902, he became the Locomotive Inspector of the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway was a British railway company built toward the end of the era of British railway construction. It opened its line from Chesterfield to Lincoln in 1897....
(LDECR), at their Tuxford locomotive works; the post was later renamed Locomotive Superintendent, and in mid 1906 his yearly salary was £350.
The LDECR was absorbed by the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
(GCR) at the start of 1907, and he transferred to the GCR's Gorton locomotive works
Gorton locomotive works
Gorton Locomotive Works, known locally as Gorton Tank was located in Openshaw near Manchester, England and was completed in 1848 by the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway.- History :...
to work as Assistant to the locomotive superintendent John G. Robinson. At the start of 1923, the GCR was a constituent of the London & 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...
(LNER), and in the new organisation he was appointed District Mechanical Engineer for the former GC section. One of his tasks was to produce a scheme for the renumbering of the former GCR and GNoSR locomotives within the block of LNER numbers which ran from 5000 to 6999. In this he was assisted by Thomas E. Heywood, the former Locomotive Superintendent of the GNoSR, who was now Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Running Superintendent, LNER (Northern Scottish Area). The GCR locos took numbers between 5001 and 6494, and the scheme adopted for the GNoSR locomotives was that 6800 should be added to the former GNoSR numbers.
The LNER was a very devolved organisation. At the very top level, there were officers whose duties covered the LNER as a whole - such as 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 was Chief Mechanical Engineer
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 LNER (and based at ) - but below this, matters were dealt with on a very much more local basis. The LNER was divided into areas and sections, each of which corresponded with one or two of the larger pre-grouping companies. Each of these had its own Area Mechanical Engineer, or equivalent post, whose headquarters was at one of the main workshops, such as Cowlairs
Cowlairs railway works
Cowlairs Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works , at Cowlairs in Springburn, an area in the north-east of Glasgow, Scotland, was built in 1841 for the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway and was taken over by the North British Railway in 1865. It was named after the nearby mansion of Cowlairs, with both...
or Doncaster
Doncaster Works
Doncaster railway works is in the town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.Always referred to as "the Plant", it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston and Peterborough...
.
In 1924, Thom became Mechanical Engineer of the LNER's Scottish Area, and in 1927 became Mechanical Engineer, Doncaster. In both of these promotions, his replacement was Thomas Heywood, mentioned earlier in connection with the renumbering. From 1 January 1934 Thom's duties expanded when his post was combined with that of Mechanical Engineer, Stratford, becoming Mechanical Engineer for the Southern Area of the LNER. He retired in 1938, and his former post was then split again: the new Mechanical Engineer, Doncaster was Edward Thompson
Edward Thompson (engineer)
Edward Thompson was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway between 1941 and 1946.- Biography :Edward Thompson was the son of an assistant master at Marlborough College. He was educated at Marlborough before taking the Mechanical Science Tripos at Pembroke College,...
, whilst F.W. Carr became Mechanical Engineer, Stratford.
Thom was responsible for only one new design of locomotive, the large Class D
LD&EC class D
The LD&EC class D was a class of nine 0-6-4T steam locomotives supplied to the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway in 1904 and 1906 by Kitson & Co. of Leeds...
0-6-4T
0-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles....
, nine of which were built between March 1904 and December 1906 for use on the coal trains which ran from the coalfield in northern Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to the docks at Grimsby and Immingham. These became LNER class M1, and were withdrawn between 1939 and 1947. They were direct predecessors of the GCR Class 1B
GCR Class 1B
The GCR Class 1B was a class of 2-6-4T locomotives on the Great Central Railway. They were notable as the first locomotives of the 2-6-4T wheel arrangement to be used by a British standard-gauge railway; there had been two narrow-gauge examples on the Leek & Manifold Valley Light Railway since...
2-6-4T
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...
introduced in 1914, upon which Thom assisted Robinson with the design work.
He died at Ilkley on 2 November 1955.