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EspañolGEORGE JACKSON CHURCHWARD
(Redirected from G.J. Churchward)
'George Jackson Churchward' (31 January 1857 - 19 December 1933) was Chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway of England (GWR) from 1902 to 1922.
Churchward was born at Stoke Gabriel, Devon and served his apprenticeship in the Newton Abbot works of the South Devon Railway and under Joseph Armstrong in the GWR's Swindon Works where he rose through the managerial ranks, becoming assistant to William Dean in 1897.
In the 19th and early 20th century railway companies were fiercely competitive: speed meant revenue and speed was dependent on engineering. Churchward delivered to the GWR from Swindon a series of class-leading and innovative locomotives: arguably from the early 1900s to the 1920s the Great Western’s 2-cylinder and 4-cylinder 4-6-0 designs were substantially superior to any class of locomotive of the other British railway companies. On one occasion, the GWR's directors confronted Churchward, and demanded to know why the London and North Western Railway were able to build three 4-6-0 locomotives for the price of two of Churchward's "Stars". Churchward allegedly gave a terse response: "Because one of mine could pull two of their bloody things backwards!" (Tuplin 1965:74)
Churchward preferred locomotives without trailing wheels, to maximise adhesion on the South Devon banks of Dainton, Rattery and Hemerdon on the West of England mainline to Plymouth, then the Great Western’s most important route. Due to the weight and dimensional restrictions required to pass over all the GWR’s lines, he designed narrow fireboxes, but with good circulation. Combining high boiler pressures with superheat made efficient use of the high calorific-value steam coal from the mines in South Wales. Other refinements included feed-water distribution trays beneath the top-fitted clack boxes to minimize boiler stress and large bearing surfaces to reduce wear.
In 1922 Churchward retired, and C. B. Collett inherited his legacy of excellent, standardised designs. These were also influential on other railways; major classes built by the LMS and even British Railways 50 years later are clearly modest developments of Churchward's basic designs.
Although Churchward had retired in 1922, he continued to live in a GWR-owned house near to the line at Swindon and he retained his interest in the company’s affairs. On 19th December 1933, now with poor eyesight and hard of hearing, he spotted a defectively-bedded sleeper on the down through line and walked over to check it. A fast express struck and killed him.
The first class of locomotives with which Churchward won success and world-wide recognition was the 4-4-0 'City' class, which soon became one of the most famous class locomotives in the world at the time. One of them, ''City of Truro'', became the first engine in the world to haul a train at 100 miles per hour in 1904 (although unauthenticated). He went on to build the 'County' class and the 'Star' class.
★ G. J. Churchward - A Locomotive Biography, , H. C. B., Rogers, Allen & Unwin, 1975,
★ Churchward Locomotives - A Pictorial History, , Brian, Haresnape, Ian Allan, 1976,
★ Locomotive Engineers of the GWR, , Denis, Griffiths, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1987,
★ Great Western Steam, , W. A., Tuplin, Allen & Unwin, 1958,
★ Great Western Saints and Sinners, , W. A., Tuplin, Allen & Unwin, 1965,
★ The Great Western Railway in the Twentieth Century, , O. S., Nock, Ian Allan, 1964,
★ The ABC of Great Western Locomotives, , Ian (comp.), Allan, McCorquodale and Co, 1944,
★ George Jackson Churchward
'George Jackson Churchward' (31 January 1857 - 19 December 1933) was Chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway of England (GWR) from 1902 to 1922.
| Contents |
| Early career |
| Chief mechanical engineer |
| Death |
| ''City of Truro'' |
| References |
| External links |
Early career
Churchward was born at Stoke Gabriel, Devon and served his apprenticeship in the Newton Abbot works of the South Devon Railway and under Joseph Armstrong in the GWR's Swindon Works where he rose through the managerial ranks, becoming assistant to William Dean in 1897.
Chief mechanical engineer
In the 19th and early 20th century railway companies were fiercely competitive: speed meant revenue and speed was dependent on engineering. Churchward delivered to the GWR from Swindon a series of class-leading and innovative locomotives: arguably from the early 1900s to the 1920s the Great Western’s 2-cylinder and 4-cylinder 4-6-0 designs were substantially superior to any class of locomotive of the other British railway companies. On one occasion, the GWR's directors confronted Churchward, and demanded to know why the London and North Western Railway were able to build three 4-6-0 locomotives for the price of two of Churchward's "Stars". Churchward allegedly gave a terse response: "Because one of mine could pull two of their bloody things backwards!" (Tuplin 1965:74)
Churchward preferred locomotives without trailing wheels, to maximise adhesion on the South Devon banks of Dainton, Rattery and Hemerdon on the West of England mainline to Plymouth, then the Great Western’s most important route. Due to the weight and dimensional restrictions required to pass over all the GWR’s lines, he designed narrow fireboxes, but with good circulation. Combining high boiler pressures with superheat made efficient use of the high calorific-value steam coal from the mines in South Wales. Other refinements included feed-water distribution trays beneath the top-fitted clack boxes to minimize boiler stress and large bearing surfaces to reduce wear.
In 1922 Churchward retired, and C. B. Collett inherited his legacy of excellent, standardised designs. These were also influential on other railways; major classes built by the LMS and even British Railways 50 years later are clearly modest developments of Churchward's basic designs.
Death
Although Churchward had retired in 1922, he continued to live in a GWR-owned house near to the line at Swindon and he retained his interest in the company’s affairs. On 19th December 1933, now with poor eyesight and hard of hearing, he spotted a defectively-bedded sleeper on the down through line and walked over to check it. A fast express struck and killed him.
''City of Truro''
The first class of locomotives with which Churchward won success and world-wide recognition was the 4-4-0 'City' class, which soon became one of the most famous class locomotives in the world at the time. One of them, ''City of Truro'', became the first engine in the world to haul a train at 100 miles per hour in 1904 (although unauthenticated). He went on to build the 'County' class and the 'Star' class.
References
★ G. J. Churchward - A Locomotive Biography, , H. C. B., Rogers, Allen & Unwin, 1975,
★ Churchward Locomotives - A Pictorial History, , Brian, Haresnape, Ian Allan, 1976,
★ Locomotive Engineers of the GWR, , Denis, Griffiths, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1987,
★ Great Western Steam, , W. A., Tuplin, Allen & Unwin, 1958,
★ Great Western Saints and Sinners, , W. A., Tuplin, Allen & Unwin, 1965,
★ The Great Western Railway in the Twentieth Century, , O. S., Nock, Ian Allan, 1964,
★ The ABC of Great Western Locomotives, , Ian (comp.), Allan, McCorquodale and Co, 1944,
External links
★ George Jackson Churchward
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