Joseph Hamilton Beattie (1808-1871) was a locomotive engineer with the London and South Western Railway. Joseph Beattie was born in Ireland on 12 May 1808.[1] He was educated in Belfast and initially apprenticed to his father, a Derry architect. He moved to England in 1835 to serve as an assistant to Joseph Locke on the Grand Junction Railway and from 1837 on the London and Southampton Railway. After the line opened he became the carriage and wagon superintendent at Nine Elms and succeeded John Viret Gooch as locomotive engineer on 1 July 1850.
Joseph Hamilton Beattie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 May 1808 |
| Died | 18 October 1871 (aged 63) |
| Nationality (legal) | British |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Children | William George Beattie |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Locomotive engineer |
| Employer(s) | London and South Western Railway |
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Locomotives edit
Initially he designed a series of singles, but the weight of the Southampton and Salisbury expresses led to the development of 2-4-0s. He continued to develop the design over the next 20 years. In addition he developed a series of 2-2-2 and 2-4-0 well tanks and three classes of 0-6-0s. His locomotives were amongst the most efficient of the time. Three of his most famous locomotive design, the 0298 Class 2-4-0 well tanks,[2] were in service for 88 years, until 1962. 2 have been preserved - see the Swanage Railway,[3] Bodmin & Wenford Railway[4] and the National Railway Museum, York.
Locomotive classes edit
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Driving wheels | Years built | Builders | Quantity | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hercules | 2-4-0 | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) | 1851–55 | Nine Elms | 15 | Goods | |
| Tartar | 2-2-2WT | 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.8 m) | 1852 | Sharp Brothers | 6 | Suburban passenger | |
| Sussex | 2-2-2WT | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) | 1852 | Nine Elms | 8 | Suburban passenger | |
| Saxon | 2-4-0 | 5 ft 0 in (1.5 m) | 1855–57 | Nine Elms | 12 | Goods | |
| Canute | 2-2-2 | 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) | 1855–59 | Nine Elms | 12 | Passenger | |
| Chaplin | 2-2-2WT | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) | 1856 | Nine Elms | 3 | Suburban passenger | |
| Minerva | 2-4-0WT | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) | 1856 | Nine Elms | 3 | Suburban passenger | |
| Nelson | 2-4-0WT | 5 ft 0 in (1.5 m) | 1858 | Nine Elms | 3 | Suburban passenger | |
| Tweed | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 0 in (1.8 m) | 1858–59 | Nine Elms | 6 | Passenger | |
| Clyde | 2-4-0 | 7 ft 0 in (2.1 m) | 1859–68 | Nine Elms | 13 | Express passenger | |
| Nile | 2-4-0WT | 5 ft 9 in (1.8 m) | 1859 | Nine Elms | 3 | Suburban passenger | |
| Undine | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) | 1859–60 | Nine Elms | 12 | Passenger | |
| Eagle | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 0 in (1.8 m) | 1862 | Nine Elms | 3 | Passenger | |
| Gem | 2-4-0 | 5 ft 0 in (1.5 m) | 1862–63 | Nine Elms | 6 | Goods | |
| 298 | 2-4-0WT | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) | 1863–71 | Beyer, Peacock | 70 | Suburban passenger | 15 more ordered by W.G. Beattie |
| Falcon | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) | 1863–67 | Nine Elms | 17 | Passenger | |
| Lion | 0-6-0 | 5 ft 0 in (1.5 m) | 1863–71 | Nine Elms | 32 | Goods | Six more ordered by W.G. Beattie |
| 221 | 0-6-0 | 5 ft 1 in (1.5 m) | 1866–72 | Beyer, Peacock | 18 | Goods | Six more ordered by W.G. Beattie |
| 231 | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 0 in (1.8 m) | 1866 | Beyer, Peacock | 6 | Passenger | |
| Volcano | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 0 in (1.8 m) | 1866–69 | Nine Elms | 12 | Passenger | Six more ordered by W.G. Beattie |
| Vesuvius | 2-4-0 | 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) | 1869–71 | Nine Elms | 14 | Passenger | 18 more ordered by W.G. Beattie |
Innovations edit
Beattie was a highly innovative engineer, introducing the country's first successful 2-4-0 locomotive, pioneering feedwater heating, balanced slide valves and coal-burning fireboxes. Since the Rainhill Trials in 1829, it had been accepted that the smoke emitted by burning coal was a nuisance.[6] Railway companies accepted the need to burn coke (a smokeless fuel) in their locomotives, but this was much more expensive than coal, and several locomotive engineers sought a method by which coal could be burned smokelessly.[7] One such engineer was Beattie, who designed a boiler suitable for coal in 1853.[8]
Death edit
On 18 October 1871,[1] Beattie died of diphtheria and was succeeded as locomotive engineer by his son William George Beattie.
References edit
- ^ a b Marshall 1978, p. 24.
- ^ "LSWR 0298 Class 2-4-0WT". 6 February 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
- ^ "Swanage Railway News Gallery Page 275". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2007.
- ^ "LSWR (SR) Beattie Well Tank 2-4-0 WT No 30587". Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2007.
- ^ Bradley 1965, pp. 50–88, 100–114.
- ^ Ahrons 1987, p. 12.
- ^ Ahrons 1987, p. 131.
- ^ Ahrons 1987, pp. 133–134.
- Ahrons, E.L. (1987) [1927]. The British Steam Railway Locomotive 1825-1925. London: Bracken Books. ISBN 1-85170-103-6.
- Bradley, D.L. (1965). Locomotives of the L.S.W.R.: Part 1. Kenilworth: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-08-8.
- Bradley, D.L., (1989), LSWR Locomotives The Early Engines 1838-53 and the Beattie Classes, Wild Swan
- Marshall, John (1978). A Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7489-3.