Vincent Raven
Encyclopedia
Sir Vincent Litchfield Raven KBE (3 December 1859 – 14 February 1934) was chief mechanical engineer
of the North Eastern Railway
from 1910 to 1922.
, Norfolk
and educated at Aldenham School
in Hertfordshire
. In 1877 he began his career with the North Eastern Railway as a pupil of the then Locomotive Superintendent, Edward Fletcher
. By 1893 he had achieved the post of Assistant Mechanical Engineer to Wilson Worsdell
who was then the Locomotive Superintendent.
In this post he was involved for the first time with an electrification
project, as the N.E.R. was electrifying the North Tyneside
suburban route in 1904. This was a third rail
system at 600 volts DC.
's retirement (The title of the post had changed from Locomotive Superintendent in 1902). Raven developed some of Worsdell's designs for steam locomotives, like the T2
0-8-0
freight locomotive, as well as introducing designs of his own. In particular he favoured a 3 cylinder design with the locomotives driving on the leading coupled axle. This was applied to a series of locomotives, class S3
, a mixed traffic 4-6-0
, class Y
, a 4-6-2T tank engine for freight work, class D, a 4-4-4T tank engine for passenger work, class Z, a 4-4-2
'Atlantic' for express passenger work, and the LNER Class A2
4-6-2
, a 'Pacific' for express passenger work. The most memorable of these was the class Z Atlantics which had a reputation for speed and good riding on East Coast Main Line
expresses north of York
.
The 3 cylinder principle was also applied to class X
, a heavy freight 4-8-0T tank engine, but this had a divided drive with the inside cylinder driving the second axle and the outside cylinders driving the third axle. The class T3
was also three cylinder with all cylinders driving the second axle of this heavy freight 0-8-0.
in the south west Durham
coalfield
and Newport
, on Teesside
, with the intention of improving performance on coal trains from Shildon to Middlesbrough
. For this, he introduced electrification at 1500 volts DC with overhead wires. Ten centre cab electric locomotives of 1100 horsepower
were built at Darlington Works
for this, numbered in a series from 3 to 12
(1 and 2
were a different design of 1902 for the Tyneside
electrification at 600 volts DC).
, also at 1500 volts DC. Both third rail and overhead power supply systems were considered and some experiments were done with dummy collector shoes fitted to the bogie of a steam locomotive to assess the mechanical performance at speed. In the end, the overhead system was selected.
A prototype passenger loco was built in 1922 at Darlington for this, NER No. 13
, which was a new design of 1800 hp and a 2-Co-2 (4-6-4
) wheel arrangement. Although successfully tested between Newport and Shildon using the overhead power supply, No. 13 was destined to be unlucky as it never did the job for which it was designed. The reorganisation
of Britain's railways in 1923 led to the abandonment of the electrification plans by the successor company, the LNER.
was quickly abandoned, although it was electrified by British Rail
in the late 1980s. The Shildon - Newport electrification reverted to steam haulage in 1935. Falling traffic levels and the need to replace the overhead equipment were cited as the reasons.
The EF1
electric freight locomotives went into store, and lasted until 1950, when they were all scrapped except No 11. The EE1
express passenger locomotive No 13 was also scrapped in 1950, having spent most of its life in storage, but one of the ES1
shunting locomotives is preserved.
No 11 was rebuilt for use on the Woodhead
route of the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway
and re-classified EB1
. It was never used on this scheme, but found work as a shunter at Ilford
until 1964 when it was scrapped.
, the last pre-grouping locomotives in use in Britain. Two Raven steam locomotives survive in preservation, a T2 No 2238 (currently in running order as No. 63395 in British Railways paintwork) and No. 901, the pioneer T3, the only surviving loco of Raven's 3 cylinder design.
, Raven was Superintendent at the Royal Arsenal
, Woolwich
where he organised munitions production, for which he received a knighthood in 1917. The Grouping
of the railways in 1923 gave the Chief Mechanical Engineer's post to Nigel Gresley
of the Great Northern Railway
and Raven became a Technical Adviser. He resigned in 1924 and was appointed to the Royal Commission on New South Wales Government Railways
, in company with Sir Sam Fay
. Raven died in 1934.
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 North Eastern Railway
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...
from 1910 to 1922.
Biography
Vincent Raven was born the son of a clergyman at Great FranshamGreat Fransham
Great Fransham is a village in Norfolk roughly about an equal distance between Swaffham and Dereham. There is also a Little Fransham; the two villages, both a part of the civil parish of Fransham, were once served by Fransham railway station....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and educated at Aldenham School
Aldenham School
Aldenham School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged thirteen to eighteen, located between Elstree and the village of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, England...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. In 1877 he began his career with the North Eastern Railway as a pupil of the then Locomotive Superintendent, Edward Fletcher
Edward Fletcher (engineer)
Edward Fletcher was a British engineer, and locomotive superintendent of the North Eastern Railway . He was born in Northumberland.-Career:...
. By 1893 he had achieved the post of Assistant Mechanical Engineer to Wilson Worsdell
Wilson Worsdell
Wilson Worsdell was a British locomotive engineer who was locomotive superintendent of the North Eastern Railway from 1890 to 1910. He was the younger brother of T.W. Worsdell.-Family:...
who was then the Locomotive Superintendent.
In this post he was involved for the first time with an electrification
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
project, as the N.E.R. was electrifying the North Tyneside
North Tyneside
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall....
suburban route in 1904. This was a third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
system at 600 volts DC.
Steam locomotives
In 1910 he became Chief Mechanical Engineer on Wilson WorsdellWilson Worsdell
Wilson Worsdell was a British locomotive engineer who was locomotive superintendent of the North Eastern Railway from 1890 to 1910. He was the younger brother of T.W. Worsdell.-Family:...
's retirement (The title of the post had changed from Locomotive Superintendent in 1902). Raven developed some of Worsdell's designs for steam locomotives, like the T2
NER Class T2
The North Eastern Railway Class T2, classified as Class Q6 by the LNER, is a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. 120 were built at Darlington Works between 1913 and 1921 to the design of Vincent Raven, based on the NER Class T and T1 .All passed into British Railways...
0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
freight locomotive, as well as introducing designs of his own. In particular he favoured a 3 cylinder design with the locomotives driving on the leading coupled axle. This was applied to a series of locomotives, class S3
NER Class S3
The North Eastern Railway Class S3, classified B16 by the LNER, was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for mixed traffic work. It was designed by Vincent Raven and introduced in 1920.-Post-NER:...
, a mixed traffic 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...
, class Y
NER Class Y
The North Eastern Railway Class Y 4-6-2T tank locomotives were designed whilst Wilson Worsdell was Chief Mechanical Engineer, but none were built until 1910 by which time Vincent Raven had taken over.-Overview:...
, a 4-6-2T tank engine for freight work, class D, a 4-4-4T tank engine for passenger work, class Z, a 4-4-2
4-4-2 (locomotive)
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
'Atlantic' for express passenger work, and the LNER Class A2
LNER Class A2
The first London and North Eastern Railway Class A2 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotive designed by Vincent Raven. Two were built by the North Eastern Railway in 1922 before the grouping and another 3 by the LNER in 1924. Their LNER numbers were 2400-2404...
4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
, a 'Pacific' for express passenger work. The most memorable of these was the class Z Atlantics which had a reputation for speed and good riding on East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
expresses north of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
The 3 cylinder principle was also applied to class X
NER Class X
The NER Class X was a class of 4-8-0T tank locomotive designed by Wilson Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway. They were intended for use as powerful shunting engines to arrange and move coal wagons for loading into ships. In total 15 were built, 10 by the NER between 1909 and 1910, and a...
, a heavy freight 4-8-0T tank engine, but this had a divided drive with the inside cylinder driving the second axle and the outside cylinders driving the third axle. The class T3
NER Class T3
North Eastern Railway Class T3, classified Q7 by the LNER is a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. Five were built by the NER in 1919 and a further 10 by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1924.-Performance:...
was also three cylinder with all cylinders driving the second axle of this heavy freight 0-8-0.
Shildon-Newport
Raven was a great advocate of electrification, and in 1915, a section of line was electrified between ShildonShildon
Shildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
in the south west Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
coalfield
Coalfield
A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological...
and Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, on Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, with the intention of improving performance on coal trains from Shildon to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
. For this, he introduced electrification at 1500 volts DC with overhead wires. Ten centre cab electric locomotives of 1100 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
were built at Darlington Works
Darlington Works
Darlington railway works, known in the town as North Road Shops, was built in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England.-NER History:The first new locomotive was built at the works in 1864...
for this, numbered in a series from 3 to 12
British Rail Class EF1
The British Rail Class EF1 was a class of electrically powered locomotives used by British Rail in England. They were used during the pre-TOPS period...
(1 and 2
British Rail Class ES1
British Rail Class ES1 was a class of two electric locomotives commissioned by the North Eastern Railway in 1902. They were of steeplecab design....
were a different design of 1902 for the Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
electrification at 600 volts DC).
York-Newcastle
Following the success of the Shildon - Newport scheme, Raven set about planning the electrification of the main line from York to NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, also at 1500 volts DC. Both third rail and overhead power supply systems were considered and some experiments were done with dummy collector shoes fitted to the bogie of a steam locomotive to assess the mechanical performance at speed. In the end, the overhead system was selected.
A prototype passenger loco was built in 1922 at Darlington for this, NER No. 13
British Rail Class EE1
British Rail Class EE1 was an electric locomotive commissioned by the North Eastern Railway in 1922. Ownership passed to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and to British Railways in 1948....
, which was a new design of 1800 hp and a 2-Co-2 (4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
) wheel arrangement. Although successfully tested between Newport and Shildon using the overhead power supply, No. 13 was destined to be unlucky as it never did the job for which it was designed. The reorganisation
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...
of Britain's railways in 1923 led to the abandonment of the electrification plans by the successor company, the LNER.
Decline of electric traction
After the grouping, the proposed electrification of the East Coast Main LineEast Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
was quickly abandoned, although it was electrified by 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...
in the late 1980s. The Shildon - Newport electrification reverted to steam haulage in 1935. Falling traffic levels and the need to replace the overhead equipment were cited as the reasons.
The EF1
British Rail Class EF1
The British Rail Class EF1 was a class of electrically powered locomotives used by British Rail in England. They were used during the pre-TOPS period...
electric freight locomotives went into store, and lasted until 1950, when they were all scrapped except No 11. The EE1
British Rail Class EE1
British Rail Class EE1 was an electric locomotive commissioned by the North Eastern Railway in 1922. Ownership passed to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and to British Railways in 1948....
express passenger locomotive No 13 was also scrapped in 1950, having spent most of its life in storage, but one of the ES1
British Rail Class ES1
British Rail Class ES1 was a class of two electric locomotives commissioned by the North Eastern Railway in 1902. They were of steeplecab design....
shunting locomotives is preserved.
No 11 was rebuilt for use on the Woodhead
Woodhead
Woodhead is a small and scattered settlement at the head of the Longdendale valley in Derbyshire, England, situated 18 miles from Manchester and 17 miles from Barnsley. It lies on the River Etherow and the Trans Pennine Trail...
route of the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway
Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway
The Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway was an early electrification scheme on British railways. The route featured long ascents on both sides of the Pennines with the long Woodhead Tunnel at its central summit close to the Woodhead pass...
and re-classified EB1
British Rail Class EB1
The British Rail Class EB1 was an electrically powered locomotive used by British Rail in England. It was used during the pre-TOPS period...
. It was never used on this scheme, but found work as a shunter at Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
until 1964 when it was scrapped.
Steam survival
The steam classes fared better, most lasting into nationalisation in 1948. Class Z all were scrapped by the early 1950s. The S3s lasted well, some being rebuilt with different boilers and new cylinders. The class D tank engines were rebuilt by the LNER as 4-6-2 tank engines and lasted into the very early 1960s when they were replaced by diesel units. The freight classes also lasted well, the class Y tanks going before 1960 and the class X and T3 lasting a little longer. The rugged, reliable and simple T2s lasted until the end of steam locomotive use in North East England, in September 1967. they were, along with the Worsdell designed P3sNER Class P3
The North Eastern Railway Class P3, classified J27 by the LNER, is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive. The P3 Class was designed by Wilson Worsdell and was a relatively minor modification of the existing North Eastern Railway NER Class P2 . The most significant change was a deeper firebox with...
, the last pre-grouping locomotives in use in Britain. Two Raven steam locomotives survive in preservation, a T2 No 2238 (currently in running order as No. 63395 in British Railways paintwork) and No. 901, the pioneer T3, the only surviving loco of Raven's 3 cylinder design.
World War I and after
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Raven was Superintendent at the Royal Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
, Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
where he organised munitions production, for which he received a knighthood in 1917. 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...
of the railways in 1923 gave the Chief Mechanical Engineer's post to 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...
of the 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....
and Raven became a Technical Adviser. He resigned in 1924 and was appointed to the Royal Commission on New South Wales Government Railways
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
, in company with Sir Sam Fay
Sam Fay
Sir Sam Fay , born in Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire, England, was a career railwayman who joined the London and South Western Railway as a clerk in 1872 and rose to become the last General Manager of the Great Central Railway after a successful stint in charge of the almost bankrupt Midland and South...
. Raven died in 1934.