James Clayton MBE (17 November 1872 – 12 October 1946) was an English

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

who worked extensively on

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s. Clayton was born in

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and attended the Technical School in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and thereafter served an apprenticeship at Beyer Peacock, becoming a draughtsman in their drawing office. After six years in that post he took a position with the

South Eastern and Chatham Railway The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC),Awdry (1990), page 199 known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eas ...

(SECR). In 1904, he left for a year's work with the Motor Manufacturing Company, an

automobile manufacturer The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, as their chief draughtsman and assistant works manager. Following this, he was hired by

Cecil Paget Lt.-Col. Sir Cecil Walter Paget, 2nd Baronet (19 October 1874 – 9 December 1936),''Who was who'', 1941. was an English locomotive engineer and railway administrator. He was general superintendent of Midland Railway from 1907 until the First ...

, Chief Superintendent 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 ...

, to work on his high pressure multi-cylinder locomotive. During his time with the Midland, he spent two years in charge of the casualty and investigation section, and was appointed Assistant Chief Locomotive Draughtsman in 1907. In 1914, he rejoined the SECR and was soon Chief Locomotive Draughtsman. From 1919, he was Chief Mechanical Engineer

Richard Maunsell Richard Edward Lloyd Maunsell (pronounced "Mansell") (26 May 1868 – 7 March 1944) was an Irish Locomotive Engineer who held the post of chief mechanical engineer (CME) of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1913 until the Railways A ...

's personal assistant, and later his deputy. When Maunsell became the Southern Railway's CME in the 1923

Grouping Grouping generally refers to the creation of one or more groups, or to the groups themselves. More specifically, grouping may refer to: * Shot grouping in shooting sports and other uses of firearms * the use of symbols of grouping in mathemati ...

, Clayton continued as his deputy. He was also very active in the Institution of Locomotive Engineers, serving as a member of its Council and later a Vice President.

References

External links

James Clayton
at steamindex.com 1872 births 1946 deaths English engineers English railway mechanical engineers English mechanical engineers Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire {{England-engineer-stub