Bulleid : Man, Myth and Machines

This title is a new and enlightening look at Oliver Bulleid's life, was undoubtedly one of the most controversial railway engineers of the 20th century. The author uncovers some startling new facts which run contrary to popular beliefs. Born in New Zealand, he joined Britain's Great Northern Railway in 1901, becoming Sir Nigel Gresley's assistant in 1912 and an important influence in Gresley's locomotive 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 infamous '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 traditional view. This is a timely and well researched biography of one of Britain's most famous railway engineers.