Robert John Billinton (5 April 1844 – 7 November 1904) was the Locomotive, Carriage, Wagon and Marine Superintendent of the

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR (known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton)) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at ...

from 1890 until his death.

Early career

He was born in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

either on 5 April 1844GRO entry Q2 1844 or on 5 April 1845, the son of a railway contractor and apprenticed to

William Fairbairn & Sons William Fairbairn and Sons, was an engineering works in Manchester, England. History William Fairbairn opened an iron foundry in 1816 and was joined the following year by a Mr. Lillie, and the firm became known as Fairbairn and Lillie Engine M ...

of Manchester in 1859. In 1863 he moved to Simpson & Co. Engineers of Pimlico London, and soon afterwards to the

Calderdale Calderdale () is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the ...

Iron Works. From 1865 to 1866 he worked with Roland Child mining and civil engineers of

. He then became assistant works manager to Munro, Walker and Easton of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

where he was responsible for the design and building of locomotives and stationary engines. In 1870 Robert Billinton was appointed assistant to William Stroudley at the Brighton Works of the LB&SCR. In 1874 he moved to become the assistant of

Samuel Waite Johnson Samuel Waite Johnson (14 October 1831 – 14 January 1912) was an English railway engineer, and was Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Midland Railway from 1873 to 1903. He was born in Bramley, Yorkshire and educated at Leeds Grammar ...

of the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

, at

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

LB&SCR

Following Stroudley's death in December 1889, Billinton was appointed as his successor the following month. He was responsible for the design of a number of successful locomotive classes at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

including the D (later D3) class 0-4-4T, the C2 class 0-6-0, the B4 4-4-0. He also designed and four classes of radial tank engines E3, E4, E5 and E6. Many of his locomotives were rebuilt with larger boilers by his successor D. E. Marsh. Billinton also introduced new classes of steel-framed carriage stock to the railway and re-organised and enlarged the locomotive and carriage works at Brighton. Robert Billinton died in office on 7 November 1904. His son, Lawson B. Billinton (1882–1954) was also the Locomotive Engineer to the LB&SCR from 1912 until his retirement in 1922

References

Sources

*Bradley, D.L. (1972) ''The locomotives of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway: Part 2'', The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, *Bradley, D.L. (1974) ''The locomotives of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway: Part 3'', The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, * *Marshall, John (1978) ''A biographical dictionary of railway engineers'', David & Charles, * {{DEFAULTSORT:Billinton, Robert John 1844 births 1904 deaths People from Wakefield English railway mechanical engineers Locomotive builders and designers Locomotive superintendents London, Brighton and South Coast Railway people Engineers from Yorkshire