North Staffordshire Railway engineers
| According to Lowe these were: J.C. Forsyth, 1848-65 (railway engineer also i/c locomotives) James Johnson, 1865-70 (railway engineer also i/c locomotives) T.W. Dodds, son of Isaac Dodds, 1870-4 (Locomotive Superintendent) R.N. Angus, 1874-5 (Locomotive Superintendent) C. Clare 1876-82 (Locomotive Superintendent) Luke Longbottom, 1882-1902 (Chief Mechanical Engineer according to Longbottom) John H. Adams, 1902-15 J.A. Hookham, 1915-23 |
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John Albert Hookham
Hookham was born in London on London 9 November 1863 and was educated
at Durham House School, Clapham Common, and in 1879 entered a five year pupilage
under William Kirtley at Longhedge Works on the LCDR. From 1884 to 1887 he
was an assistant draughtsman at Longhedge, but then worked in drawing office
of Pulsometer Engineering at the Nine Elms Ironworks, Lambeth, on hydraulic
and pumping machinery, and in the Glengall Ironworks, MilIwall, on marine
engines, dredgers and barges. In 1891 he returned to the LCDR as an assistant
draughtsman. Following the SER/LCDR agreement Hookham was briefly at Ashford
between 1899 and 1900 and became Locomotive Superintendent of the Donna Thereza
Christina Railway in Brazil between 1900 and 1902, but when this railway
was nationalized in that year he returned to become Works Manager at Stoke
on the NSR, becoming Locomotive Superintendent in 1915 upon the death of
John H. Adams. He introduced soft iron packing for glands, oil-firing and
feed-water heating. He also built a 4-cylinder 0-6-0T, in 1922, with the
cranks set at 90o and
135o, to give an even torque with an 8-beat exhaust.
In 1917 he designed and built a 4-wheeled battery loco which worked until
1964. At the grouping Hookham became mechanical engineer, Stoke on Trent.
When he retired he moved to Devon and died in Exmouth on 24 January 1934.
He became MIME in January 1904 and MICE in February1918.
Photograph of him in his office in Stoke Works in Railway Archive (3) page 41 upper. Caption by Basil Jeuda notes that he had a reputation as a very good engineer on the works side and was ahead of his time in such operations as machining piston rods and packing. He was also considered a leader in using cast iron packing rings, supplying Gresley with information leading to their use on the GNR and LNER. Present in group photograph taken at Railway Centenary in Darlington: J. Instn Loco, Engrs, 1925, 15, 576 .
Obituary J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1934, 24, 611.
Atkins, Railways South East, 1, 122.
Papers
Comparison between superheated and non-superheated tank engines.
J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1922,
12, 578-603. Disc. 578-603; 604-33. (Paper No. 126)
Results from trials with an 0-6-2T.
Automatic train control. J. Instn
Loco. Engrs., 1925, 15, 243-68. Disc.: 269-79. (Paper No.
181)
Adams, John Henry
John Henry Adams was born in London on 10 September 1860. He was the
third son of William Adams and was educated
at Brighton Grammar School and Thanet College, Margate, and privately in
Brussels. In 1877 he was apprenticed under his father at Stratford, GER,
and when his father became locomotive engineer on the LSWR in 1878 he transferred
to Nine Elms Works. On completion of his training he served as a fireman
for 9 months and was later driver of goods and passenger trains for 15 months
on the LSWR. He then spent a year with Tannett, Walker & Co, Leeds, to
gain experience in hydraulic engineering. From July1887 to September 1898
he was Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent of the Donna Thereza
Christina Railway in Brazil. In January 1899 he became assistant manager
of the SECR works at Ashford, and in March 1902 he was appointed locomotive,
carriage and wagon superintendent of the NSR, at Stoke in succession to
Longbottom where he remained until his death. His
colleague J.A. Hookham followed him from Ashford to
become works manager at Stoke. Adams. introduced many improvements, he introduced
the madder lake livery for NSR locos. He fitted all tender axle-box bearings
with a 3/l6in (4mm) lining of white-metal and a lubricating pad in the bottom
of the axle-box. He also introduced the 4-wheel bogie on engines and coaches,
and from 1903 onwards he built all his new engines and nearly all his new
coaches in the Stoke Works after reorganising them and equipping them with
up-to-date tools (see Jeuda below).
He was elected MIME in 1902. He died in Congleton on 7. November 1915.
Adams' relationship with Hookham, and with James Clayton, is discussed
by Atkins (Railways South East,
1, 122)
0-6-4T design: see Atkins Backtrack
12-37
See Marshall: Biographical
dictionary
Basil Jeuda: Railway Archive
(2) 47
Longbottom, Luke
According to Marshall born Wakefield
2 March 1826 and died Stoke-on-Trent 12 February 1902. Apprenticed to Fenton,
Murray & Jackson and then with E.B. Wilson. He then worked in several
locomotive engineering firms before becoming engineer of the Kendal &
Windermere Railway in 1855. When this line was taken over by the LNWR, he
became locomotive district foreman at Tebay and the at Preston. He beacme
Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent on the NSR in December 1882.
Responsible for introducing D class 0-6-0 (most numerous on NSR), 100 class
0-6-0 and DX 0-6-2T class, Noted
in Joy's Diaries.. Illustrated
Interviews: No. 39. Rly Mag., 1901, 8, 193. (includes portrait)
where he is described as "Chief Mechanical Engineer" and stated that tank
engines were most suitable for NSR traffic..
Angus, Robert Nichol
Locomotive Foreman of the North Staffordshire Railway from 1847 to
1874 when the post was redesignated Locomotive Superintendent. This he held
until his death in 1875. He was succeeded by Charles
Clare.Not in Marshall: see Railway
Archive (1) p. 71. Also mentioned
in Illustrated Interviews: No. 39. Luke
Longbottom. Rly Mag., 1901, 8, 193.
Clare, Charles
Locomotive Superintendent of NSR in succession to
R.N. Angus. Not in Marshall. See
Railway Archive, (1), 71. Also mentioned in
Illustrated Interviews: No. 39. Luke
Longbottom. Rly Mag., 1901, 8, 193.
Dodds, Thomas Weatherburn
Son of Isaac
Dodds.mentioned in
Illustrated Interviews: No. 39. Luke
Longbottom. Rly Mag., 1901, 8, 193. where he applied his
father's wedge motion on the North Staffordshire Railway (but it was never
made to work satisfactorily). The son also started locomotive manufacture
at Stoke according to Longbottom. Main entry with
father..
Johnson, James
Manifold (Hollick et al)
state that Johnson was the father of
Samuel Waite Johnson and had worked on the GNR
for sixteen years. They note that the Chairman of the NSR considered that
Johnson "had queer views, and attached fireboxes not suited to the district,
which had to be removed at great expence". From the
Locomotive Magazine (1912,
18, 46) obituary it is clear that James Johnson was the father
of the famous Samuel Waite Johnson.
Forsyth, John Curphey
Born Pembrokeshire 14 September 1815; died Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs,
15 February 1879. Engineer and manager, NSR. His father worked on the LMR
but was killed in 1844. Forsyth educated under John Dixon and in 1834 became
sub resident engineer on the Newton-Manchester section of the LMR. In 1837,
under T.L. Gooch, he prepared contract drawings for the Manchester &
Leeds Railway. Later became resident engineer on construction of 7-8 miles
of the MLR near Huddersfield until the line opened in 1841. From then he
worked on plans or as resident engineer on several railways near Manchester
and the East Lancashire Railway. In the autumn of 1845 he was engaged by
G.P. Bidder on plans for the North Staffordshire Railway for which Robert
Stephenson, Bidder and T.L. Gooch were joint engrs. On the passing of the
NSR Act in 1846 Forsyth became resident engineer on a large portion of the
line until 1848, remaining as resident engineer until 1853. in that year
the manager, S.P. Bidder, resigned and went to Canada, and F reluctantly
accepted appoitment as manager in addition to his position as engineer until
he resigned both in 1864. He then became consulting engineer and engineer
for the construction of new NSR lines until his death..
2016-02-11
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