Alexander Allan (1809-1891) was a Scottish mechanical engineer. He was born at Montrose, Angus, in 1809 and died at Scarborough, Yorkshire on 2 June 1891.[2]
Alexander Allan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1809 |
| Died | 2 June 1891 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Mechanical engineering |
| Institutions | Institution of Mechanical Engineers |
| Significant design | straight-link valve gear |
Biography
editAllan was born in Montrose, Angus, Scotland in 1809.[3] He undertook a apprenticeship to Mr. Gibb, a millwright.[3] In 1832 aged about 23 he took a position at Robert Stephenson and Company, Newcastle upon Tyne.[3] By 1834 he had moved to Liverpool and taken up a position with George Forrester and Company who were about to begin building railway locomotives.[3]
Allan was works manager for George Forrester and Company until 1840.[4] He was the engineer sent for a year to supervise the maintenance of the three Forrester engines Vauxhall, Dublin and Kingstown for the first year of their service at Dublin and Kingstown Railway in 1834.[5]
From 1843 to 1853 he was Works Manager at the Crewe Works of the Grand Junction Railway, later London and North Western Railway, under Francis Trevithick.[6] He later claimed the credit for designing the Crewe type locomotive with inclined cylinders and double frames, but this claim has been challenged.[7] From 1853 to 1865 he was Locomotive Superintendent of the Scottish Central Railway. Allan was an original member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1847.
Inventions
edit
Allan made a number of inventions, including a balanced slide valve, but the best-known is his straight-link valve gear of 1855.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Steam engine locomotive, built at the Crewe works, for the Grand Junction Railway". flickr. 5 December 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Alexander Allan". Steamindex.com. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1891), p. 289.
- ^ Day and McNeil, Lance and Ian (2002). Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology (Annotated ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1134650194.
- ^ Murray (1981), pp. 176–178.
- ^ LNWR Society (2007), Allan, Alexander.
- ^ Stuart & Reed (1971).
Sources
edit- LNWR Society (2007). "LNWRS Glossary". London and North Western Railway Society. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007.
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1891). "Proceedings 1891". Institution of Mechanical Engineers. London.
- Lowe, James W. (2014) [1975]. British Steam Locomotives Builders. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1-47382-289-4. OCLC 889509628.
- Murray, Kevin (1981). Ireland's First Railway. Dublin: Irish Railway Record Society. ISBN 0-904078-07-8.
- Stuart, D. H.; Reed, Brian (1971). The Crewe Type (Loco Profile No 15).
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