William Adams: His Life and Locomotives by John Woodhams

William Adams: His Life and Locomotives by John Woodhams

William Adams (1823 - 1904) is probably best known from his locomotive designs for the London & South Western Railway. The years at Nine Elms were the culmination of career which began formally in marine engineering, including a period at sea with the Royal Sardinian Navy, encompassed civil engineering and surveying before joining the North London Railway as locomotive, carriage and wagon superintendent. He has been described as the father of the suburban train, an inventive engineer, who pioneered the use of continuous train brakes, developed well designed, free-steaming locomotive boilers for services requiring rapid acceleration and frequent stops, and his invention of a bogie with controlled side-play revolutionised future locomotive design. His next move was to the Great Eastern Railway where his designs met with mixed success, before moving south of the Thames to Nine Elms. Here, over five hundred locomotives were built to his designs, with his later express classes regarded by many as his greatest achievement. Adams also proved himself a very capable designer in developing locomotive and carriage works at all three railways, improving efficiency and reducing costs. This book tells the story of a genial man with a love of music, who was undoubtedly one of the finest late Victorian locomotive engineers.

John Woodhams was brought up on the Isle of Wight in the final years of steam, with Adams O2 class locomotives an everyday sight. He became a chartered surveyor, and later a specialist tour operator. He now lives near Canterbury, but still volunteers at the island's Steam Railway, where he enjoys the privilege of working with the last remaining O2\. He has previously written several other titles on railways and local history.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781399071963
ISBN 10	1399071963
Title	William Adams: His Life and Locomotives
Author	John Woodhams
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2023-09-12
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.