Questions about Joseph Locke
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was Joseph Locke and why is he important to railway history?
Joseph Locke was an English civil engineer born on the 9th of August 1805 in Attercliffe, Sheffield, who ranked alongside Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel as one of the major pioneers of nineteenth-century railway development. He was the chief engineer of the Grand Junction Railway, the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, the Caledonian Railway, and many other lines in Britain and Europe. Around three-quarters of the modern West Coast Main Line follows routes he planned.
What was Joseph Locke's "up and over" engineering philosophy?
Locke believed modern locomotives could climb steep gradients, making long detours and expensive tunnels unnecessary. He favored direct routes that went over hills rather than around them, introducing gradients as steep as 1 in 75 on the Lancaster and Carlisle and Caledonian railways. This approach became known as the "up and over" school of engineering, contrasting with the Stephensons' preference for near-flat alignments achieved through extensive tunneling.
What happened at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830?
On the day the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened in 1830, Joseph Locke drove the locomotive "Rocket" as part of a procession of eight trains. William Huskisson, the Member of Parliament for Liverpool, was struck and killed by "Rocket" during the ceremony. George Stephenson drove the leading locomotive "Northumbrian" on the same occasion.
How accurate were Joseph Locke's cost estimates for the Grand Junction Railway?
Locke estimated the Grand Junction Railway would cost £17,000 per mile; the actual construction cost came in at £18,846 per mile. Contemporaries regarded this as remarkably accurate compared with the estimates for the London and Birmingham Railway under Robert Stephenson and the Great Western Railway under Brunel.
What was the Barentin Viaduct disaster and how did Locke respond?
The Barentin Viaduct near Rouen, France, on the Paris-Le Havre line, collapsed shortly after construction. The structure was 108 feet high, consisted of 27 arches each 50 feet wide, and stretched over 1,600 feet. Locke attributed the failure to frost acting on new lime cement and to premature off-centre loading with ballast. Contractor Thomas Brassey bore the rebuilding cost, and the rebuilt viaduct survives today.
When did Joseph Locke die and what is his commemorative legacy?
Joseph Locke died on the 18th of September 1860, apparently from appendicitis, while on a shooting holiday, and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London. His widow Phoebe dedicated Locke Park in Barnsley to his memory in 1862, which features a statue of him and a folly called Locke Tower. A commemorative plaque was unveiled at Lancaster station on the 150th anniversary of his death.