Stratford Works
Encyclopedia
Stratford Works was the locomotive
-building works of the Great Eastern Railway
situated at Stratford, London
, England
. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway
. In 1891 the works set a new time record for building locomotives- a Class Y14
tender engine was built in 9 hours 47 minutes from the time the frames were stamped out to the completed and fully functional locomotive leaving the works. This record still stands.
At the grouping
in 1923, the works passed to the London and North Eastern Railway
. Locomotive-building ceased soon afterwards but the works continued to do repairs and maintenance.
The works passed to British Railways in 1948 and became a Diesel
Repair Shop about 1963. It finally closed on 31 March 1991.
s of the Great Eastern Railway were:
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
-building works of the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
situated at Stratford, London
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
. In 1891 the works set a new time record for building locomotives- a Class Y14
GER Class Y14
The Great Eastern Railway Class Y14 is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive. The LNER classified them J15.The Class Y14 was designed by T.W. Worsdell for both freight and passenger duties - a veritable 'maid of all work'...
tender engine was built in 9 hours 47 minutes from the time the frames were stamped out to the completed and fully functional locomotive leaving the works. This record still stands.
At the grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
in 1923, the works passed to 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...
. Locomotive-building ceased soon afterwards but the works continued to do repairs and maintenance.
The works passed to British Railways in 1948 and became a Diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
Repair Shop about 1963. It finally closed on 31 March 1991.
People
The Chief Mechanical EngineerChief 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...
s of the Great Eastern Railway were:
- 1862-1866 Robert SinclairRobert Sinclair (locomotive engineer)Robert Sinclair was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Caledonian Railway from 1847–1856, the Eastern Counties Railway from 1856–1865 and of the Great Eastern Railway from 1862–1866.-External links:*...
- 1866-1873 Samuel W. JohnsonSamuel W. JohnsonSamuel Waite Johnson was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway from 1873 to 1903. He was born in Bramley, Yorkshire and educated at Leeds Grammar School.-Career:...
- 1873-1878 William AdamsWilliam Adams (locomotive engineer)William Adams was the Locomotive Superintendent of the North London Railway from 1858 to 1873; the Great Eastern Railway from 1873 until 1878 and the London and South Western Railway from then until his retirement in 1895...
- 1878-1881 Massey BromleyMassey BromleyMassey Bromley was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Eastern Railway from 1878-1881.He was killed in the Penistone rail crash of 1884.-External links:* – LNER Encyclopedia* – steamindex.com...
- 1881-1885 Thomas William WorsdellThomas William WorsdellThomas William Worsdell was a British locomotive engineer. He was born in Liverpool into a Quaker family.-Family:...
- 1885-1907 James HoldenJames Holden (engineer)James Holden was an English locomotive engineer.He is remembered mainly for the "Claud Hamilton" 4-4-0, his pioneering work with oil fuel, and his unique "Decapod".- Biography :...
- 1908-1912 S. D. HoldenS. D. HoldenStephen Dewar Holden was a British engineer, the son of the engineer James Holden and succeeded his father as locomotive superintendent of the Great Eastern Railway in 1908, a post he held until his retirement in 1912....
- 1912-1922 Alfred John HillAlfred John HillAlfred John Hill was Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Stratford Works of the Great Eastern Railway from 1912-1922.His best-known design is probably the GER Class L77 0-6-2 tank locomotive which was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the London and North Eastern Railway after the 1923...
Sources
- Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, Summer 1961 edition, page 58
- Rail UK database (see below)