Henry Edward Cusack (1865-1954), or Edward Cusack as he was more commonly known, was a Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR).
Born on 6 November 1865.
Educated at Clifton College, Bristol, England. His father, Sir Ralph Smith Cusack was Chairman of the MGWR from 1865 to 1905 and his brother-in-law, Major Major James William Henry Claud "H.C." Cusack was Deputy Chairman of the MGWR from 1905.
He served a four-year apprenticeship with Kitson and Co, followed by two years at the Crewe Works, then returned to Ireland in 1890.
1890 Assistant locomotive engineer in the running department
He married Constance Louisa Vernon in 1892.
When Martin Atock announced his intended retirement from the MGWR, Henry Edward Cusack was appointed his joint first assistant locomotive engineer with Basil Hope from the North Eastern Railway. Martin Atock's son, Thomas, was appointed as second assistant.
1900 Appointed Chief Locomotive Engineer
Became a member of the Inst of Civil Engineers of Ireland
1903 Became a Member of the Inst of Mech Engineers
1905 Cusack rose to take the Chief Mechanical Engineers position from 1905-1915.
Cusack oversaw the introduction of MGWR Class D on the transition from his predecessor Martin Atock. The first attributed locomotive to his era was the MGWR Class A, the largest 4-4-0 in Ireland at the time of introduction in 1902. The smaller MGWR Class C 4-4-0 followed from 1909. His era also saw the MGWR Class B goods 0-6-0, an attempt at a larger freight engine. It is generally noted W. H. Morton is likely to have assisted Cusack with practical design input.
Cusack was responsible for the design of a Royal Train prepared for the visit of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1903 with a12 wheel saloon reputed to be the most luxurious in Ireland. As well as 6 wheel carriages he also designed the coaches for the MGWR "limited mail" express train in 1900. His coach designs typically had a distinct roof profile, somewhat flat for most of top but tightly curved at the sides.
1913 Patent on improvements in locomotive superheaters
1913 of Bray, Co. Wicklow
1915 Retired from his position as CME. He was replaced by W. H. Morton.
1939 Retired Locomotive Engineer, lived in Margate with Constance E Cusack and Henry V Cusack[1]
1954 Died in Bournemouth[2]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Wikipedia
- Mechanical engineer records