James Edward Anderson
James Edward Anderson (1871-1945) was a mechanical engineer of the Midland Railway and later the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and had a great influence on the latter's adoption of the former's unwise locomotive policies.
1871 April 3rd. Born
Apprenticeship with the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR). He worked for Sharp, Stewart and Co, Dubs and Co and the Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSWR), before becoming Assistant Chief Draughtsman of Robert Stephenson and Co of Darlington.
In April 1903, Anderson moved to the Midland Railway at Derby as a draughtsman. He replaced John William Smith when Smith left for the Great Central Railway, and was also given responsibility for the Locomotive Works in the absence of Henry Fowler.
During Anderson's time at Derby, he helped design the 990 Class 4-4-0. Superheating was introduced on the Class 4F 0-6-0 and the rebuilt Class 2P 4-4-0. A large 2-8-0 for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and the Lickey Banker 0-10-0 for the Lickey Incline. These departed from the Midland's small engine policy.
Anderson was acting Chief Mechanical Engineer between 1915 and 1919 when Fowler was away on war work. Anderson himself was awarded a CBE in March 1920 for his own war work.
The Midland was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. On locomotive affairs, Anderson and Fowler were able to influence the LMS to follow Midland practice rather than that of the London and North Western Railway. This included the use of standard small axle bearings and short travel valves that resulted in hot axle boxes and inefficiency respectively.
1932 Superintendent of Motive Power (Derby), London Midland and Scottish Railway, was born in 1871, and served his apprenticeship with the Great North of Scotland Railway, where he received training in locomotive carriage and wagon building and design, and experience in running-shed and footplate work. He was afterwards with Sharp, Stewart and Dubs, locomotive builders, and then with the Glasgow and South Western Railway as Leading Draughtsman, but following service with that company he took up a position with R. Stephenson and Co., Darlington, as Assistant to the Chief Draughtsman. Mr. Anderson entered the service of the Midland Railway in 1903, was appointed Chief Locomotive Draughtsman in 1906, and in 1913 was appointed to the position of Works Manager. From June, 1915, to April, 1919, he was Acting Chief Mechanica1 Engineer, and during that period, in addition to the locomotive building and repairing, was responsible for the extensive munition work carried out by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Department of the company during the war. During the same period he was a member of the Railway War Manufactures Sub-Committee of the Railway Executive Committee. Mr. Anderson was appointed Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway in May, 1919, and was mainly responsible for the organization and output of the locomotive workshops of the company. In March, 1920, he was awarded the C.B.E. for services rendered during the war.
Anderson retired in 1932 to Ayr.
1945 January 15th Died
1946 Obituary [1]
"JAMES EDWARD ANDERSON. C.B.E., whose death occurred on 15th January 1945, was a locomotive engineer throughout his career.
He was born in 1871 and received his technical education at Robert Gordon's College. After serving his apprenticeship in the works of the Great North of Scotland Railway at Aberdeen, from 1888 to 1893, he continued in the service of the company for a further two years. He then joined Messrs. Sharp, Stewart, and Dubs, Ltd., of Glasgow, as a draughtsman, and after four years' experience entered the service of the Glasgow and South Western Railway as leading draughtsman. In 1902 he became assistant to the chief draughtsman at Messrs. Robert Stephenson and Company's locomotive works, Darlington, and was responsible for the original design of a 2-8-0 locomotive for the Bengal and Nagpur Railway, which was adopted as the standard type for all the Indian State Railways. A year later he joined the Midland Railway at Derby as leading draughtsman, in whose service he continued during the remainder of his career, both during its independent existence and after its absorption into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. In 1907 he was promoted to be chief draughtsman and four years later was made works manager. Subsequently he acted as chief mechanical engineer and from 1919 to 1923 was deputy chief mechanical engineer. On the amalgamation of the railways in the latter year he was appointed chief superintendent of motive power for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, a position he retained until his retirement at the close of 1932. Mr. Anderson had been a Member of the Institution since 1919."