Two Miles a Minute

“During January last a statement obtained wide currency in the daily press that Mr H J Robinson, then just about to retire from the position of Chief Locomotive Inspector on the Great Western Railway, had been responsible for driving a locomotive in this country at a speed of 120 miles per hour. It is needless to say that readers of The Railway Magazine who are familiar with all the speeds hitherto claimed as railway records, and in particular with the figure of 102.3 mph achieved down Wellington Bank of the GWR on May 9, 1904, which from that day to this has had an unchallenged supremacy, are interested to know on what authority this new claim has been made, as is evidenced by the extensive correspondence we have received on the subject. We therefore wrote to Mr C B Collett, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway, who communicated to us an interesting account of what actually occurred. It appears that in May, 1906, No 2903 – one of the newly introduced 2-cylinder 4-6-0 locomotives and herself fresh from the shops – was taken for a trial run light from Swindon to Stoke Gifford, with the intention, after running the engine round the Filton-Patchway triangle, of having “a sharp run” back. Signal checks were experienced, however, and No 2903 was then stopped at Chipping Sodbury until “line clear” had been obtained through to Wootton Bassett, after which she was re-started, and there was evidently some running of very startling order down the 1 in 300 from Badminton to Little Somerford.

“The purpose of the run was to demonstrate that an engine taken straight from the shops could be run at over 100 miles per hour. Those on the footplate included Mr Collett, who was then Assistant Manager of the Locomotive Works, Mr G H Flewellen, who was the Locomotive Inspector, and the Foreman of the Erecting Shop, Mr Evans. The timing for some distance by the mileposts with a stop watch was given as 120 miles per hour, and the clocking between the signal-boxes of Little Somerford and Hullavington was booked as two minutes for the 4½ miles.

“Mr Collett points out that, while the object of running a new engine on its first trip at over 100 miles per hour was achieved, the timing could not be regarded as accurate and that the 102.3 mph record of ‘City of Truro’ in 1904, made under the personal observation of one of the most careful recorders of his time – the late Charles Rous-Marten – with the aid of a chronograph reading to one-fifth parts of a second, must remain the best duly authenticated railway speed record that this country has yet witnessed.”

The Railway Magazine’s report mentioned that reports of the retirement of H J Robinson, the driver of No 2903 on the day, raised the question of 120 mph running. This is the transcript of a report in The Times on Thursday 14 January 1932:

RETIREMENT OF GWR CHIEF LOCOMOTIVE-INSPECTOR

“Chief Locomotive-Inspector Henry James Robinson is retiring on Monday after 50 years’ service with the Great Western Railway Company. It is claimed that in 1906, on an experimental run with a light engine between Badminton and Wootton Bassett, he obtained a speed of two miles a minute. Mr Robinson started work at 14 as the driver of a horse and cart. Last September, 51 years later, he helped to regain for England the world’s train record for the fastest start-to-stop run. Under his supervision the Cheltenham Flyer express took the record from the Canadian Pacific Railway by covering the 77½ miles between Swindon and Paddington in 59½ minutes, an average speed of 77.9 miles an hour, and then on two successive days made even better times. Mr Robinson was on the footplate of the ‘Launceston Castle’, which drew the train on each occasion. Mr Robinson has driven every member of the Royal Family. He will be succeeded by Mr F C Sheldon of Swindon.”

The photograph of No 2903, which was named ‘Lady of Lyons’ in April 1907, was taken at Gloucester on 31 July 1930 while the locomotive was waiting to depart with the 4.30pm train to Paddington. At this time the locomotive was coupled to a larger 4,000 gallon tender than the original 3,500 gallon one.