Robert Sinclair (locomotive engineer)

Robert Sinclair (locomotive engineer)
Born	1 July 1817 London
Died	20 October 1898 Italy
Nationality	British
Education	Charterhouse School
Engineering career
Engineering discipline	Mechanical engineering

Robert Sinclair (1817–1898) was born in London but came from a Caithness family. He became Chief Mechanical Engineer of several British railways and also worked in France. He retired to Italy, where he died.

Career

Early years

He was apprenticed to a shipbuilder and later worked for Robert Stephenson, the Grand Junction Railway and the Paris and Rouen Railway.

Chief mechanical engineer

He was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Caledonian Railway (CR) from 1847–1856, the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) from 1856–1862 and, following a merger of railways, of the Great Eastern Railway (GER) from 1862–1865.

Consulting engineer

Sinclair resigned in from the GER 1865, and became a consulting engineer. In this capacity, he designed a fast 2-4-2 locomotive for the Great Luxemburg Railway, and an outside cylinder 2-4-0 for the East Indian Railway. The Luxembourg 2-4-2 design was later adapted into a 2-4-2T for commuter services on the GER.

Locomotive designs

• Caledonian, see Locomotives of the Caledonian Railway
• ECR/GER, see Locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway

Innovations

Sinclair was an early user of:

• the Giffard injector
• the use of steel for railway axles and wheel tyres
• roller bearings for carriages

References

Business positions
Preceded by (First loco engineer)	Locomotive Superintendent of the Caledonian Railway 1847–1856	Succeeded by Benjamin Connor
Preceded by John Viret Gooch	Locomotive Superintendent of the Eastern Counties Railway 1856–1862	Post abolished Company merged into the Great Eastern Railway
Preceded by (First loco engineer)	Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Eastern Railway 1862–1865	Succeeded by Samuel W. Johnson