Sir John Audley Frederick Aspinall (25 August 1851 – 19 January 1937) 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 served as Locomotive Superintendent of the

Great Southern and Western Railway The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the larges ...

(GS&WR) of Ireland and

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

(L&YR) of England. He introduced

vacuum brake The vacuum brake is a brake, braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in countries influenced by British practice. Va ...

s to his locomotives in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, a trend which was followed in Britain, and designed several

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. He was also president of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...

and of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

Biography

Aspinall was born on 25 August 1851 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

to a

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. He attended the Roman Catholic boarding school of

Beaumont College Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a Public school (UK), public school in Old Windsor, Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while l ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

before being apprenticed to engineers John Ramsbottom and Francis Webb of the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

in 1868. He was sent by Webb to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

in 1872 where he was greatly impressed by the larger

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

in use there. In 1875, he moved to the

and became their works manager at

Inchicore Inchicore () is a suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Located approximately west of the city centre, Inchicore was originally a small village separate from Dublin. The village developed around Richmond Barracks (built 1810) and Inchi ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. Aspinall was promoted to Locomotive Superintendent in 1883 and introduced a form of vacuum braking to his locomotives which was soon adopted by several other lines, including the London and North Western and Great Northern Railways. He was succeeded at Inchicore by Henry Ivatt and was to keep links with both Inchicore and Ivatt. He became the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the

in 1886. Continuing the work of his predecessor, William Barton Wright, he modernised the locomotive stock and continued Barton Wright's philosophy of standardisation, bringing in several of his own design. He was promoted to L&YR general manager in 1899, a position he was to hold until 1919. In this capacity he introduced electrification and greatly expanded the transport of coal. Aspinall served as president of the

between 1909 and 1910 and was interned in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914. Aspinall received a knighthood on 13 June 1917 for his contributions to the war effort and national transport system. He served as president of the

between November 1918 and November 1919. Aspinall also conducted the inquiry into the Sevenoaks railway accident. He was the first recipient of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' James Watt International Medal, receiving it in 1937. He died on 19 January 1937. His son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, was a barrister and first-class cricketer. He wrote seven

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s and was the holder of fourteen

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Locomotive designs

* GS&WR Classes 52 and 60, classes of 4-4-0 passenger locomotive serving the period 1883 to 1960. * L&YR Class 2 and Class 3, two designs of 4-4-0 steam locomotive. * L&YR Class 5, a class of 270 steam tank locomotives with a 2-4-2T wheel arrangement. * L&YR Class 7, a class of 40 steam passenger locomotives built between 1899 and 1902 with a 4-4-2 wheel arrangement. * L&YR Class 21, class of small 0-4-0ST steam locomotives for shunting duties. * L&YR Class 23, a class of 0-6-0ST steam locomotive used for shunting and for short-trip freight working, originally by William Barton Wright, rebuilt by Aspinall. * L&YR Class 27, a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work. * L&YR Class 30, a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotives, designed by Aspinall, built under

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aspinall, John Audley Frederick 1851 births 1937 deaths English railway mechanical engineers Knights Bachelor Locomotive superintendents Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers Presidents of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers Engineers from Liverpool People educated at Beaumont College

Biography

Locomotive designs

See also

References