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Ivatt & Riddles Locomotives: A Pictorial History (Book Law reprint)
Book Law (Ian Allan)

Ivatt & Riddles Locomotives: A Pictorial History (Book Law reprint)

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For the first 30 or so years of their railway careers the rise to seniority of H. G. Ivatt and R. A. Riddles led them along remarkably similar paths. Both had started as apprentices at Crewe Works on the London North Western Railway, Ivatt in 1904 and Riddles in 1909. By the mid-1930s they both held key positions in the Stanier administration and played important roles in this exciting and stimulating phase of locomotive design on the LMS. But the streamline dream of the late 1930s was abruptly halted by the outbreak of World War 2, and R. A. Riddles produced his first locomotive designs, the now famous 'Austerity' 2-8-0s and 2-10-0s, whilst he was away from the LMS as Director of Transportation Equipment at the Ministry of Supply.

H. G. Ivatt was appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMS in February 1946, following the unexpected death of C. E. Fairburn, who had succeeded Sir William Stanier during the war years. Ivatt produced new mixed-traffic designs which paid proper attention to the vastly changed working conditions of the post-war years, with emphasis upon labour-saving devices and economical maintenance. These designs were later included in the BR standard range, with only minor detail changes.

The final stage in British steam locomotive design was undertaken by R. A. Riddles, who was appointed Member of the Railway Executive for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering when Britain's Big Four railways were nationalised in 1948. Under Riddles' direction the BR standard designs were prepared and constructed, with his powerful 9F 2-10-0 taking its place in history as the last new steam locomotive design built for service on British Railways - the famous No 92220 Evening Star.

Hardback with dust jacket, 112 pages, black & white photographs

Condition: Good/Very Good

ISBN: 9781901945010