Matthew Stirling (railway engineer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matthew Stirling (1856-1931) was Chief Locomotive Superintendent (a.k.a. Chief Mechanical Engineer) of the Hull & Barnsley Railway (H&BR). He retired in 1922 when the H&BR was taken over by the North Eastern Railway (NER).

[edit] Biography

  • Matthew Stirling was born in Kilmarnock on 27 November 1856.
  • He was the son of Patrick Stirling, the nephew of James Stirling, and grandson of Robert Stirling - all of whom were also famous mechanical engineers.
  • Matthew was appointed Locomotive Superintendent of the H&BR on 13th May 1885
  • His first locomotive design was the H&BR Class B 0-6-0 tender locomotive (1889). This later became LNER Class J23.
  • A larger and more modern version of the Class B was developed later. This was designated H&BR Class L, and later became LNER Class J28.
  • Matthew Stirling's locomotive designs often incorporated the design traditions established his father, including domeless boilers. His powerful Q10 (H&BR Class A) 0-8-0 freight locomotives were heavily used during World War I. He also designed the D24 (H&BR Class J) 4-4-0 tender locomotive and the N12 (H&BR Class F2) and N13 (H&BR Class F3) 0-6-2 tank engines. The latter survived into the British Railways era and the last locomotive, No. 69114, was withdrawn in 1956.
  • Stirling died on 5 October 1931 in Hull, aged 75.

[edit] External links