Walter Mackersie Smith
Encyclopedia
Walter Mackersie Smith was a Scottish
engineer who made an important contribution to the development of the compound
steam locomotive
. His middle name has sometimes been mis-spelt Mackenzie . He was born at Ferry-Port on Craig, Fife
.
, worked for Neilson and Company
for short time and then and then joined the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
. Samuel W. Johnson
was locomotive superintendent of the E&G at the time and the two became lifelong friends. Johnson moved to the Great Eastern Railway
in 1866 and Smith moved with him.
In 1874, Smith became locomotive, carriage and wagon superintendent for the Imperial Government Railways of Japan
. He returned to Britain in 1883 and joined the North Eastern Railway
where he eventually became chief draughtsman.
Smith's main contributions to locomotive design concerned the use of piston valves and compounding. The North Eastern Railway was already using the two-cylinder Worsdell
-von Borries
compound system. Smith improved on this by developing a three-cylinder compound system with one high-pressure cylinder inside and two low-pressure cylinders outside. This was tried out on the NER Class 3CC
locomotive.
under Samuel W. Johnson
, Smith's old friend. Production of the Midland Railway 1000 Class
began in 1902 and ran to 45 locomotives. The design was perpetuated in the LMS Compound 4-4-0
from 1924 and production ran to 195 locomotives. A summary of British compound locomotives based on Smith's system is given here:
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
engineer who made an important contribution to the development of the compound
Compound locomotive
A compound engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure cylinder, then having given up heat and losing pressure, it exhausts directly into one or more larger...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. His middle name has sometimes been mis-spelt Mackenzie . He was born at Ferry-Port on Craig, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
.
Personal life
He married Margaret Black and they had eight children. One of his sons, Samuel Walter Johnson Smith, became a Fellow of the Royal Society . W. M. Smith died in 1906 while still working for the North Eastern Railway.Work
He was apprenticed to an engineering company in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, worked for Neilson and Company
Neilson and Company
Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland.The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines...
for short time and then and then joined the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was a railway built to link Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Act of Parliament for building the railway received its Royal Assent in 1838 which was open on 28 July 1863. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. The line was...
. Samuel W. Johnson
Samuel W. Johnson
Samuel 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:...
was locomotive superintendent of the E&G at the time and the two became lifelong friends. Johnson moved to 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...
in 1866 and Smith moved with him.
In 1874, Smith became locomotive, carriage and wagon superintendent for the Imperial Government Railways of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He returned to Britain in 1883 and joined 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...
where he eventually became chief draughtsman.
Smith's main contributions to locomotive design concerned the use of piston valves and compounding. The North Eastern Railway was already using the two-cylinder Worsdell
Thomas William Worsdell
Thomas William Worsdell was a British locomotive engineer. He was born in Liverpool into a Quaker family.-Family:...
-von Borries
August von Borries
August Friedrich Wilhelm von Borries was one of Germany's most influential railway engineers, who was primarily concerned with developments in steam locomotives....
compound system. Smith improved on this by developing a three-cylinder compound system with one high-pressure cylinder inside and two low-pressure cylinders outside. This was tried out on the NER Class 3CC
NER Class 3CC
The NER Class 3CC was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive designed by Wilson Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway and built in 1893. Only one was built and it was a compound expansion version of the simple expansion NER Class M1...
locomotive.
Locomotives
The North Eastern Railway built only a small number of Smith's compound locomotives but the system had greater success on the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
under Samuel W. Johnson
Samuel W. Johnson
Samuel 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:...
, Smith's old friend. Production of the Midland Railway 1000 Class
Midland Railway 1000 Class
Midland Railway 1000 Class is a class of 4-4-0 steam locomotive designed for passenger work.-Overview:These were developed from a series of five locomotives introduced in 1902 by Samuel W...
began in 1902 and ran to 45 locomotives. The design was perpetuated in the LMS Compound 4-4-0
LMS Compound 4-4-0
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Compound 4-4-0 was a class of steam locomotive designed for passenger work.- Overview :One hundred and ninety five engines were built by the LMS, adding to the 45 Midland Railway 1000 Class, to which they were almost identical...
from 1924 and production ran to 195 locomotives. A summary of British compound locomotives based on Smith's system is given here:
- NER Class 3CCNER Class 3CCThe NER Class 3CC was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive designed by Wilson Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway and built in 1893. Only one was built and it was a compound expansion version of the simple expansion NER Class M1...
- NER Class 4CC (4-cylinder)
- Great Central Railway classes 8D and 8EGCR Classes 8D and 8EGCR Classes 8D and 8E were two pairs of three-cylinder compound steam locomotives of the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement built in 1905 and 1906 for the Great Central Railway.-History:...
- Midland Railway 1000 ClassMidland Railway 1000 ClassMidland Railway 1000 Class is a class of 4-4-0 steam locomotive designed for passenger work.-Overview:These were developed from a series of five locomotives introduced in 1902 by Samuel W...
- LMS Compound 4-4-0LMS Compound 4-4-0The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Compound 4-4-0 was a class of steam locomotive designed for passenger work.- Overview :One hundred and ninety five engines were built by the LMS, adding to the 45 Midland Railway 1000 Class, to which they were almost identical...
Further reading
- Singer, Holmyard, Hall and Williams (editors), A History of Technology, Oxford University Press 1958, Volume V, pp 338-339
- Marshall, John, A Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers, David and Charles 1978, page 196, ISBN 0 7153 7489 3