Edward Thompson, Wartime CME

A Hitchin & Welwyn Garden City Branch presentation.

Presenter: Simon Martin

“I have much to do, gentlemen, and little time in which to do it”. These words are attributed to Edward Thompson and have been taken in the past as meaning little time in which to enact change, specifically to the work of his predecessor, Sir Nigel Gresley. How far was this true, was the question posed by Simon A.C. Martin when he started his research on the L.N.E.R.’s second C.M.E. over a decade and a half ago.

This presentation showcases the research Simon has put together, and examines the primary evidence available to the general public, together with an analytical approach to the statistics held at the National Archives at Kew. We look closely at Edward Thompson’s decision making in the full context of the time on the railway from the period from just before Gresley’s death, to the years after and the way in which he handed the baton on to Arthur Peppercorn, after these tumultuous war years.

We then examine each of the designs produced under Thompson, and the work carried out on his predecessor’s locomotives in relation to the aim to bring the best out of them using the resources available at the time. Finally, we will have a group discussion on the documents found, their relative importance, and ask the question “do you feel differently?” at the end, after the discussion.

Simon’s published work on Edward Thompson is available from Strathwood Publishing Limited. https://strathwood.co.uk/products/edward-thompson-wartime-cme-due-in-december-2021-pre-order-today

Doors open: 19:00