Thomas Wheatley

Not to be confused with Thomas J. Wheatley.

Thomas Wheatley (1821–1883) was an English mechanical engineer who worked for several British railway companies and rose to become a Locomotive Superintendent at the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the North British Railway (NBR).

Thomas Wheatley (locomotive engineer)
Born	1821 Micklefield, Leeds
Died	13 March 1883 Wigtownshire[1]
Nationality	British
Occupation	Engineer
Engineering career
Discipline	Mechanical engineering

Career

He became an apprentice with the Leeds and Selby Railway and later worked for the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Subsequently, he was Locomotive Superintendent for the Southern Division of the London and North Western Railway for 5 years. From 1867 to 1874 he was Locomotive Superintendent of the North British Railway (NBR). Prior to 1867 the post had been split across divisions.^[2]

Locomotives

Under Wheatley's superintendency, 185 new locomotives were added to NBR stock, and a number of old engines were rebuilt for further service.^[3] Only eight of the new locomotives were intended for express passenger trains.^[4] Locomotives designed by Thomas Wheatley included:

NBR class	Power class	Type	Introduced	Driving wheel	Total	Grouping	LNER class	Extinct	Notes
141		2-4-0	1869	6 ft 6 in (1,980 mm)	2			1915	[5]
38		2-4-0	1869	6 ft 0 in (1,830 mm)	1			1912	[6]
418	P	2-4-0	1873	6 ft 0 in (1,830 mm)	8	6	E7	1927	[7][8]
40		2-4-0	1873	5 ft 0 in (1,520 mm)	2			1903	[9]
224		4-4-0	1871	6 ft 6 in (1,980 mm)	2			1919	[10]
420		4-4-0	1873	6 ft 6 in (1,980 mm)	4			1918	[11]
251	E	0-6-0	1867	4 ft 3 in (1,300 mm)	38	3	J84	1924	[12][13]
56		0-6-0	1868	5 ft 0 in (1,520 mm)	8			1914	[14]
17		0-6-0	1869	4 ft 6 in (1,370 mm)	1			1914	[15]
396	E	0-6-0	1867	5 ft 0 in (1,520 mm)	88	37	J31	1937	[16][17][18]
293		0-6-0	1872	5 ft 0 in (1,520 mm)	1			1907	[19]
357	—	0-4-0	1868	5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)	2	1	Y10[20]	1925	[21][22]
226	E	0-6-0ST	1870	5 ft 0 in (1,520 mm)	2	1	J86	1924	[23][24]
229			1871		15	1	J81	1924	[25][26]
112		0-6-0ST	1870	4 ft 6 in (1,370 mm)	3			1910	[27]
282		0-6-0ST	1866	4 ft 1 in (1,240 mm)	3			1921	[28]
130	E	0-6-0ST	1870	4 ft 3 in (1,300 mm)	10	1	J85	1924	[29][30]
32		0-6-0ST	1874	3 ft 6 in (1,070 mm)	6			1907	[31]
18		0-4-0ST	1872	3 ft 0 in (910 mm)	2			1906	[32]

See also

• Locomotives of the North British Railway