burgundy Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 An idle question. If you were to name the ten most significant steam locomotive designers, who would they be? Stephenson, almost by definition! de Glehn? Chapelon? Churchward? Gresley? Wagner? Maffei? Golsdorf? Porta? Mallet? Other suggestions? Best wishes Eric 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Turnbull Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Otto Jabelmann should be in the top ten somewhere Chris Turnbull 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgundy Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 51 minutes ago, Chris Turnbull said: Otto Jabelmann should be in the top ten somewhere Chris Turnbull Thank you. I was struggling to think of an American. Best wishes Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
choo1choo Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Have to have William Stroudley in the mix. Craig. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgundy Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 5 minutes ago, choo1choo said: Have to have William Stroudley in the mix. Craig Added a lot in terms of standardisation and aesthetics, and his principles were certainly influential with the Drummonds and others - but really in the top ten worldwide? Best wishes Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 I might add; James Watt. Stephenson may have given us the outline of the modern steam locomotive but without Watt, we would have had nothing at all. Or should it be Thomas Newcomen? David Wardale. (Spelling?) He is responsible for many currently operating steam locomotives that may not otherwise have been efficient enough to warrant being (re)built. Alfred Belpaire, the Belgian responsible for the firebox that bears his name. Robert Garbe. A rather conservative engineer who designed a considerable number of Prussian railways designs, these though, became very numerous and must have influenced the unified German einheits (standard) designs. Herbert William Garrett. His designs opened up Africa and was it, South America? Max Baumberg. Responsible for the rebuilding of the East German (DDR) fleet of steam locomotives into Rekoloks. May not sound that great until you realise these locos remained in regular service until 1988. He was also responsible for the rebuilding of what became 18201, the post war fastest steam locomotive. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sncf231e Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Paul Kiefer designed the one of the two best steam locomotive worldwide (NYC Hudson), so he must be one of the two best engineers. The other being Gresley and his Pacifics. http://sncf231e.nl/lner-pacifics-and-nyc-hudsons/ Regards Fred 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted March 5, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 5, 2021 Egide Walschaerts 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DIW Posted March 5, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 5, 2021 Considering that this topic is hosted in the 'Overseas Prototype' section, I would nominate: Kyösti Kylälä (the Kyl in KylChap - André Chapelon has already been suggested by the OP) Thomas Russell Crampton 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgundy Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 Thanks for some interesting suggestions. I have enjoyed looking some of them up on Google! The topic is in Overseas Prototype because there did not seem anywhere better to put it. I was expecting many of the suggestions to be from outside the UK and one of the interesting aspects is to compare the names to those that I know from UK railway history. The original question about "significant" was deliberately vague in order to see who was suggested. However, in my mind, it implies someone who developed steam technology in some way, as well as creating successful locomotives. On this basis, I can understand why Crampton might get a nomination but, on the basis that his designs were an evolutionary dead end, I am not sure that he would make the top 10. It is also interesting to see the spread of nationalities, which I presume reflects the level of industrialisation at a certain period in time. Best wishes Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 I used to study American steam design (moderately) when I followed the Chesapeake and Ohio line but I never discovered many individual steam designers like on this side of the pond! Maybe the result of the American industrial approach and the way railway companies went to the large industrial manufacturers? One committee that may bear mention though, the Advisory Mechanical Committee (AMC) that was set up to serve the needs of the Van Sweringen brothers owned roads, the C&O, Nickle Plate, Erie, Pere Marquette and Hocking Valley. This design panel was responsible for some magnificent machines of 2-8-4, 2-10-4, 4-6-4, 4-8-4 and the awesome 2-6-6-6 arrangement. They pioneered the development of “super power” steam locos which were some of the best designs produced in the late steam era USA, the 2-6-6-6 Allegheny developed around 7500 horsepower, beat that, Dr Diesel! (They never have - in one unit!) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sncf231e Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 53 minutes ago, burgundy said: However, in my mind, it implies someone who developed steam technology in some way, as well as creating successful locomotives. Best wishes Eric Giesl-Gieslingen. Regards Fred 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted March 6, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 6, 2021 Did someone mention Dr Schmidt? Of superheating fame. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgundy Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 Thank you. More googling! Were Schmidt or Giesl ever actually responsible for design of a locomotive? Or is their claim to fame the development of a particular device? If so Giffard should be in there and, no doubt, plenty of others. I am sure that there is something in the comment that US railroads did business in a rather different way. Not many roads built their own locos and I think I recall a reference to one locomotive supremo as "Chief Mechanic", which certainly sounds a rather lower position in the hierarchy than Locomotive Superintendent. But that begs the question of why we do not know m ore about those who designed locos at the major builders? Best wishes Eric 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 Dugald Drummond, had huge influence right to the very end of Scottish steam John Ramsbottom of the LNWR brought standardisation with the DX the biggest class of UK locomotive. J.F.Aspinal developed standardisation and promoted reliability rather than outright power and was hugely respected in the industry.. Nobody mentioned Riddles, or Thompson, probably for a very good reason or 999. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sncf231e Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 11 minutes ago, burgundy said: Were Schmidt or Giesl ever actually responsible for design of a locomotive? Best wishes Eric Giesl-Gieslingen designed the Austrian 214 class 2-8-4 locomotive (known for having the longest connecting rod of all times). Regards Fred 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgundy Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 A couple of suggestions from a US contact: - Samuel Vauclain for superheating - Ephraim Shay for geared locos - William Woodard for designing "superpower" locos - and another vote for Otto Jabelmann Best wishes Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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