William Kirtley

William Kirtley (1840 – 7 October 1919) was the Locomotive Superintendent of the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) in England from 1874 until the merger to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway at the end of 1898.

William was born in Warrington in 1840, the son of the locomotive engineer Thomas Kirtley (1810–1847). He was educated by his uncle Matthew Kirtley, Locomotive Superintendent of the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and later of the Midland Railway, following his father's premature death. He served as a pupil at Derby Works from 1854–1860, and from 1861 to 1864 he was Running foreman for the Midland Railway for the London District. In 1864 he was appointed superintendent of Derby Works. In 1874 he was appointed Carriage and Wagon Superintendent on the LCDR following the death of William Martley, and served until the merger to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway at the end of 1898, when he retired. He also served as consultant to the Hull and Barnsley Railway between 1883 and 1885, prior to the opening of the line.

During his period at the LCDR Kirtley extended Longhedge Railway Works (Battersea) and once again used it for new locomotive construction. He also introduced a new livery, numbering scheme and locomotive classification scheme to the railway. The railway under Kirtley was also one of the pioneers in using continuous braking by means of Westinghouse air brakes.

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