- Robert Riddles
Robert Arthur "Robin" Riddles, CBE, MIMechE, MinstLE (
23 May 1892 —18 June 1983 ) was a British locomotive engineer [http://www.lner.info/eng/riddles.shtml]Biography
LNWR and LMS
Riddles was born in 1892 and entered the
Crewe Works of theLondon and North Western Railway as an apprentice in 1909. During the 1914-1918Great War he served with theRoyal Engineers .In 1923 the LNWR became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway . In 1933 Riddles became Locomotive Assistant to the new Chief Mechanical Engineer,Sir William Stanier , and in 1935 Stanier's Principal Assistant.Ministry of Supply
In 1939 with the
Second World War having just started, he moved to theMinistry of Supply , becoming "Director of Transportation Equipment", and later designed theWD Austerity 2-8-0 andWD Austerity 2-10-0 locomotives.Return to LMS
In 1943 he moved to the post of Chief Stores Superintendent at the LMS - it has been said that he was anxious to get back into the railway business. On the death of
Charles Fairburn in 1944 he applied for the position ofChief Mechanical Engineer , but the job went toGeorge Ivatt , with Riddles being promoted to Vice-President of the LMS.British Railways
Upon the creation of the
Railway Executive in 1947 in preparation for the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, he was appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer ofBritish Railways (BR). He subsequently oversaw the design of theBR standard classes , the last of which, the powerfulBR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 heavy freight locomotive, was considered by some to be the best of the BR standard designs.Retirement
Riddles retired in 1953 on the abolition of the Railway Executive, and became a director of Stothert & Pitt of Bath, cranemakers.
Riddles was succeeded as Chief Mechanical Engineer of BR by
J.F. Harrison .References
1) Rogers, Colonel H.C.B. : "The Last Steam Locomotive Engineer: R.A.Riddles", George Allen & Unwin, London 1970 : ISBN 0 0438 5053 7
External links
* [http://www.lner.info/eng/riddles.shtml LNER encyclopedia]
* [http://www.steamindex.com/people/riddles.htm Steamindex page]
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