Henry Alfred Ivatt
Henry Alfred Ivatt. 1851-1923. Born Isle of Ely. Locomotive Engineer. Doncaster Works.
Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Northern Railway 1886-1911.
Introduced the large engine policy culminating in the Atlantic class and the wide-firebox class.
Patented the water scoop and built up crank-axle.
Oversaw the introduction of 12-wheel bogie carriages with automatic couplings.
Aged 17, Ivatt was apprenticed to John Ramsbottom at the Crewe Works of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). He worked as a fireman for six months and held various positions there.
He was made head of the Holyhead Locomotive Depot in 1874, before being promoted to the head of the Chester District.
In 1877 Ivatt moved to Ireland, and the Great Southern and Western Railway at Inchicore.
In 1882 he was appointed to the post of locomotive engineer there, where he patented a design for a sprung flap for vertically-opening carriage windows that became ubiquitous.
In 1895 Ivatt returned to England and was appointed Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Northern Railway (GNR). He succeeded was Patrick Stirling.
At the GNR, he became associated with 4-4-2 (Atlantic) type, which he introduced to Britain. Ivatt was also the first to introduce Walschaerts valve gear to Britain.
Ivatt retired on 2 December 1911. He was succeeded as Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the GNR by Nigel Gresley.
He had six children, the first of which, Campbell, died in infancy. His son George Ivatt was also a locomotive engineer and post-war CME of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. His daughter Marjorie married Oliver Bulleid, CME of the Southern Railway.
Ivatt died in 1923 in Haywards Heath, Sussex.
Sources of Information
- Chris de Winter Hebron, 50 Famous Railwaymen, 2005
- [1] Wikipedia