| James Stirling | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1835 |
| Died | 1917 |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Parents | Robert Stirling |
| Work | |
| Engineering discipline | Locomotive engineer |
| Employer(s) | Glasgow and South Western Railway South Eastern Railway |
James Stirling (1835–1917) was a Scottish mechanical engineer. He was Locomotive Superintendent of the Glasgow and South Western Railway and later the South Eastern Railway.
Contents |
Stirling was born in 1835, the fifth son[1] of Robert Stirling, rector of Galston, East Ayrshire.[1] After two years working for a village millwright he joined the Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSWR) where he was apprenticed to his brother Patrick, who had been Locomotive Superintendent of that railway since 1853.[2][1]
On completion of his apprenticeship, he spent a year as a fitter at Sharp Stewart in Manchester, before returning to the GSWR drawing office at Kilmarnock; he later became works manager.[1][2]
On 1 March 1866, Patrick left the GSWR for the Great Northern Railway, where he became Works Manager at Doncaster (he became the Locomotive Superintendent of that railway from 1 October 1866),[3] and James was appointed locomotive superintendent of the GSWR in his place.[1][2]
Like his brother, James Stirling favoured the domeless boiler, known as the "straightback" and cabs for the enginemen.[2][4] Although not the first British locomotive engineer to use the 4-4-0 type, he was the first to produce a 4-4-0 which could be regarded as successful, with his No. 6 class of 1873.[4] Stirling also invented a steam reverser, using it on most of his designs from 1874.[2][5]
At the end of June 1878 he left the GSWR for the South Eastern Railway.[1][4] He retired in 1898 and died in Ashford in 1917.[6]
On the South Eastern Railway, Stirling designed just six classes of locomotive in his twenty years - three of these were of the 4-4-0 type for express passenger work, each more capable than the last; his other three classes were an 0-6-0 for goods, an 0-4-4T for suburban passenger, and an 0-6-0T for shunting. At his retirement at the end of 1898, the SER had 459 engines, of which 384 were to Stirling's design, and seven others had been purchased to outside design; ten more to Stirling's design would be built in 1899.[7]
| Class | Wheel arrangement |
Built | Total | Notes | Rebuilt | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow and South Western Railway (1866–78) | ||||||
| 157 class | 0-4-0ST | 1866–70 | 5 | [8] | ||
| 159 class | 2-2-2WT | 1867 | 1 | [9] | ||
| 8 class | 2-4-0 | 1868–70 | 15 | [9] | ||
| 75 class | 2-4-0 | 1870–71 | 10 | [9] | ||
| 187 class | 0-4-2 | 1870–71 | 20 | [10] | ||
| 65 class | 0-4-0 | 1871–74 | 22 | [11] | ||
| 208 class | 0-4-2 | 1873 | 10 | [12] | ||
| 6 class | 4-4-0 | 1873–7 | 22 | [13] | ||
| 218 class | 0-4-0ST | 1873 | 2 | [14] | ||
| 220 class | 0-4-0ST | 1874 | 1 | [14] | ||
| 221 class | 0-4-2 | 1874–78 | 60 | [15] | ||
| 113 class | 0-4-0ST | 1875–76 | 6 | [14] | ||
| 13 class | 0-6-0 | 1877–78 | 12 | [16] | ||
| 1 class | 0-4-4T | 1879 | 4 | design modified by Hugh Smellie prior to construction | [17] | |
| South Eastern Railway (1878–98) | ||||||
| O class | 0-6-0 | 1878-99 | 122 | last 5 built by SE&CR | 59 to O1, 1903–32 | [18] |
| A class | 4-4-0 | 1879-81 | 12 | [19] | ||
| Q class | 0-4-4T | 1881-97 | 118 | 55 to Q1, 1903–17 | [20] | |
| F class | 4-4-0 | 1883-98 | 88 | 76 to F1, 1903–20 | [21] | |
| R class | 0-6-0T | 1888-98 | 25 | 13 to R1, 1910–22 | [22] | |
| B class | 4-4-0 | 1898-99 | 29 | last 5 built by SE&CR | 27 to B1, 1910–27 | [23] |
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Patrick Stirling |
Locomotive Superintendent of the Glasgow and South Western Railway 1866-1878 |
Succeeded by Hugh Smellie |
| Preceded by Richard Mansell |
Locomotive Superintendent of South Eastern Railway 1878–1898 |
Succeeded by Harry Wainwright |