Thomas Wheatley Explained

Thomas Wheatley should not be confused with Thomas J. Wheatley.

Thomas Wheatley (locomotive engineer)
Nationality:	British
Birth Date:	1821
Birth Place:	Micklefield, Leeds
Death Date:	13 March 1883
Death Place:	Wigtownshire^[1]
Discipline:	Mechanical engineering

Thomas Wheatley (1821–1883) was an English mechanical engineer who worked for several British railway companies and rose to become a Locomotive Superintendent at the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the North British Railway (NBR).

Career

He became an apprentice with the Leeds and Selby Railway and later worked for the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Subsequently, he was Locomotive Superintendent for the Southern Division of the London and North Western Railway for 5 years. From 1867 to 1874 he was Locomotive Superintendent of the North British Railway (NBR). Prior to 1867 the post had been split across divisions.

Locomotives

Under Wheatley's superintendency, 185 new locomotives were added to NBR stock, and a number of old engines were rebuilt for further service. Only eight of the new locomotives were intended for express passenger trains. Locomotives designed by Thomas Wheatley included:

NBR class	Power class	Type	Introduced	Driving wheel	Total	Grouping	LNER class	Extinct	Notes
			1869	6feet	2			1915
			1869	6feet	1			1912
	P		1873	6feet	8	6	E7	1927
			1873	5feet	2			1903
			1871	6feet	2			1919
			1873	6feet	4			1918
	E		1867	4feet	38	3	J84	1924
			1868	5feet	8			1914
			1869	4feet	1			1914
	E		1867	5feet	88	37	J31	1937
			1872	5feet	1			1907
	—		1868	5feet	2	1	Y10	1925
	E		1870	5feet	2	1	J86	1924
			1871		15	1	J81	1924
			1870	4feet	3			1910
			1866	4feet	3			1921
	E		1870	4feet	10	1	J85	1924
			1874	3feet	6			1907
			1872	3feet	2			1906

See also

• Locomotives of the North British Railway

References

• Book: Boddy . M.G. . Brown . W.A. . Fry . E.V. . Hennigan . W. . Manners . F. . Neve . E. . Tee . D.F. . Yeadon . W.B. . Willie Yeadon . Fry . E.V. . Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., part 4: Tender Engines – Classes D25 to E7 . April 1968 . . Kenilworth . 0-901115-01-0 .
  • • Book: Fry . E.V. . Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., part 5: Tender Engines - Classes J1 to J37 . September 1966 . . Kenilworth . 0-901115-12-6 .
• Encyclopedia: Marsden . Richard . Thomas Wheatley . The London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Encyclopedia . 17 June 2012 . .
• Encyclopedia: Marsden . Richard . The Wheatley J31 (NBR Class R) 0-6-0 Locomotives . The London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Encyclopedia . 17 June 2012 . .
• Encyclopedia: Marsden . Richard . The Wheatley Y10 . The London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Encyclopedia . 17 June 2012 . .
• Book: Locomotives of the North British Railway 1846–1882 . 1970 . . .

Notes and References

1. https://archive.today/20040213044824/http://www.steamindex.com/people/engrs.htm Wheatley, Thomas