Henry Edward Cusack (1865-1954) was a Locomotive Superintendent of the

Midland Great Western Railway The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the had a network of , making it Ireland's ...

(MGWR).

Life

Edward Cusack was born on 6 November 1865. He was educated at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England. His father, Sir Ralph Smith Cusack was Chairman of the MGWR from 1865 to 1905 and his brother-in-law, Major Major James William Henry Claud "H.C." Cusack was Deputy Chairman of the MGWR from 1905. His mother was Elizabeth Barker He served a four-year apprenticeship with

Kitson and Company Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Early history The company was started in 1835 by James Kitson (businessman), James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, followed by two years at

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

, then returned to Ireland as a junior draughtsman in 1890. He married Constance Louisa Vernon in 1892. When

Martin Atock Martin Atock, also formerly known as Martin Attock, was an English railway engineer, who is best known as the Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) from 1872 to 1900. Life Atock was born in June 1834 in Pres ...

announced his intended retirement from the MGWR Henry Edward Cusack was appointed his joint first assistant locomotive engineer with Basil Hope from the North Eastern Railway. Martin Atock's son, Thomas, was appointed as second assistant. Cusack rose to take the Chief Mechanical Engineers position from 1905-1915 and was replaced by the young draughtsman W. H. Morton who rose to support him.

Engineering

Cusack oversaw the introduction of

MGWR Class D The MGWR Class D were steam locomotives built in batches from 1873 to 1887 for the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) of Ireland to a Martin Atock design. Numbering 39 at their peak they were the standard MGWR passenger locomotive of their er ...

on the transition from his predecessor

. The first attributed locomotive to his era was the

MGWR Class A The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) A Class, later Inchicore Class D5, consisted of 6 express passenger locomotives built at Broadstone Works in the period 1902-1905. The largest express passenger locomotive in Ireland for a short while ...

, the largest

4-4-0 4-4-0, in the Whyte notation, denotes a steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels. First built in the ...

in Ireland at the time of its introduction in 1902. The smaller

MGWR Class C The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) C Class was a class of 4-4-0 locomotives designed and built at Broadstone by Edward Cusack between 1909 and 1915 using parts obtained from Kitson and Company. They replaced the earlier 7-12 class. The ...

4-4-0 followed from 1909. His era also saw the MGWR Class B goods

0-6-0 is the Whyte notation designation for steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. Historically, this was the most common wheel arrangement used o ...

, an attempt at a larger freight engine. It is generally noted W. H. Morton is likely to have assisted Cusack with practical design input. Cusack was responsible for the design of a Royal Train prepared for the visit of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

and

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

in 1903 with a12 wheel saloon reputed to be the most luxurious in Ireland. As well as 6-wheel carriages he also designed the coaches for the MGWR "limited mail" express train in 1900. His coach designs typically had a distinct roof profile, somewhat flat for most of the top but tightly curved at the sides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusack, Henry Edward 1865 births 1954 deaths Locomotive builders and designers Midland Great Western Railway Irish civil engineers Irish people in rail transport Locomotive superintendents Irish railway mechanical engineers 20th-century Irish engineers 19th-century Irish engineers Engineers from Dublin (city)