Stroudley Locomotives
- Stroudley Locomotives
- A Pictorial History
- When William Stroudley joined the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway in 1870 he had an impressive record of 17 years of railway design experience. His career started in 1853 under Daniel Gooch at the Great Western Railway's works at Swindon. from there he moved first to the Great Northern Railway and then to take up position of Works Manager at the Cowlairs Works of the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway. in 1865 he moved again - to become Locomotive & Carriage Superintendent of the Highland Railway. Based at Lochgorm Works, Inverness, financial restrictions gave him little scope for major original design work and his major involvement was in rebuilding existing locomotives and modernising the works.
- This experience stood him in good stead after February 1870 when he took up the position for which he is best remembered: locomotive & Carriage Superintendent of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. As at Lochgorm, his early years were spent in rebuilding existing designs while the Brighton Works and running sheds were modernised. After that he could get down to the real work of original design.
- The locomotives he produced have been admirably catalogued by Brian Haresnape in his usual series style. Fortunately, William Stroudley's engines were much favoured by the amateur photographers of the period and as a result a remarkably complete collection of photographs has survived. There can be now doubt that it was the attractive appearance of the Brighton's locomotives resplendent in their colourful livery, and the added attraction of the names they carried, which helped fire the enthusiasm of thos stalwart men who carried about the large plate cameras, heavy tripods and boxes of fragile glass. The quality of their work is reflected in these pages and makes a superb tribute to Stroudley and his locomotive designs.
- 128 pages, 1985, reprinted for Book Law, Case bound, 7¼" x 9½"
- Ian Allan Publishing
- ISBN-10 0711013918
- ISBN-13 9780711013919
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