Great engineering managers George Churchward Part 2

摘要

William Dean retired in 1902, leaving George Jackson Churchward (GJC) in charge as Superintendent of the Locomotive and Carriage Department. He made two new appointments upon his succession, H. C. King as Locomotive Works Manager and Charles B. Collett, from the drawing office, as his Assistant. Engine No. 100 was proving its worth as an express passenger locomotive but re-equipment with such a large engine would take time, however, there was a pressing need for a fast express to compete with the LSWR for the lucrative Ocean Mail traffic from Plymouth. GJC took the simple expedient of taking his newly designed boiler and firebox and fitted it on top of a Dean outside frame 4-4-0 chassis. Using a boiler pressure of 200 psi he had, in one go, produced the fastest expresses in the country, they were named the 'City' class and ten were built in the spring of 1903. On the 9 May 1904 engine No. 3440, City of Truro, became the first in Britain to claim to have pulled a mail train at over 100 mph, although there have been doubts that the engine did more than 97 mph. Never-the-less, it was a great achievement for a small engine.