John Aspinall (engineer)
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| John Aspinall | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Name | John Aspinall |
| Birth date | 25 August 1851 |
| Date of death | January 19, 1937 (aged 85) |
| Work | |
| Engineering Discipline | Civil, Mechanical |
| Institution memberships | Institution of Civil Engineers (president) |
Sir John Audley Frederick Aspinall (25 August 1851 – 19 January 1937) was a British mechanical engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Southern and Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways. He introduced vacuum brakes to his locomotives in Ireland, a trend which was followed in Britain, and designed several locomotives. He was also president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
[edit] Biography
Aspinall was born on 25 August 1851 in Liverpool to a Roman Catholic judge.[1][2] He attended the Roman Catholic boarding school of Beaumont College, Berkshire before being apprenticed to engineers John Ramsbottom and Francis Webb of the London and North Western Railway in 1868.[1][2] He was sent by Webb to the United States of America in 1872 where he was greatly impressed by the larger loading gauge in use there.[1] In 1875 he moved to the Great Southern and Western Railway of Ireland and became their works manager at Inchicore, Dublin.[2] Aspinall was promoted to Locomotive Superintendent in 1882 and introduced a form of vacuum braking to his locomotives which was soon adopted by several other lines, including the London and North Western and Great Northern Railways.[1]
He became the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1886 and their general manager in 1899.[2] In this capacity he introduced electrification and greatly expanded the transport of coal.[1] He was promoted to Locomotive Superintendent in 1883 and, continuing the work of his predecessor, William Barton Wright, he modernised the locomotive stock, bringing in several of his own design.[1] Aspinall served as president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers between 1909 and 1910 and was interned in Germany at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.[1] Aspinall received a knighthood on 13 June 1917 for his contributions to the war effort and national transport system.[2][3] He served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers between November 1918 and November 1919.[4] He was the first recipient of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' James Watt International Medal, receiving it in 1937.[5] He died on 19 January 1937.[1]
He wrote seven academic papers and was the holder of fourteen patents.[1]
[edit] Locomotive designs
L&YR Class 5
L&YR Class 21
L&YR Class 23, originally by William Barton Wright, rebuilt by Aspinall
L&YR Class 27
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Steam Index. Biography of Sir John Aspinall. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ a b c d e Science and Society Picture Library. Brief Biography of Sir John Aspinall. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 30138, page 6047, 19 June 1917. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ Watson, Garth (1988), The Civils, London: Thomas Telford Ltd, p. 252, ISBN 0-727-70392-7
- ^ Institution of Mechanical Engineers. James Watt International Medal Recipients (pdf). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
| Preceded by W. Barton Wright |
Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 1896 – 1899 |
Succeeded by Henry Hoy |
