| Synopsis: |
Oliver Bulleid was undoubtedly one of the most controversial railway engineers of the 20th century. Born in New Zealand, he joined the GNR in 1901, becoming Gresley's assistant in 1912 and an important influence in Gresley's designs until the mid-1930s. In 1937, he was appointed the CME of the Southern Railway where he produced his radical designs of Pacific as well as the austerity 'Q1' class of 0-6-0 before launching into the radical design that led to the 'Leader' project. Following the Nationalisation of the Southern Railway, Bulleid became CIME of CIE in Ireland, continuing his experimentation that culminated in the production of CIE's turf-burning locomotive. Following retirement in 1958, he moved to Malta where he died in 1970. Over the years much has been written about Bulleid and, more particularly, his locomotive designs. Whilst undertaking the research into the 'Leader' project, Kevin Robertson uncovered a significant amount of new information about Bulleid's life, much of which runs counter to the traditional view. Amongst the areas covered, for example, are the circumstances of Bulleid's departure from the LNER in 1937.As Gresley's assistant, and given his superior's ill-health, Bulleid would have been the natural successor to his boss on the LNER. And yet he left. Was he pushed or did he jump? |