Cecil J Allen | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 1886 |
Died | 5 February 1973 |
Nationality | English |
Occupation | Railway engineer |
Employer(s) |
Great Eastern Railway London & North Eastern Railway |
Cecil John Allen [1] (1886 – 5 February 1973 [2]) was a British railway engineer and technical journalist and writer.
Allen qualified as a civil engineer and joined the Great Eastern Railway in 1903, later working for the London & North Eastern Railway retiring in 1946. [3] He inspected new rails for quality.
Allen also was the second contributor to the long-running British locomotive practice and performance article series in The Railway Magazine from 1909 to 1958, [4] He was concurrently editor of Trains Illustrated in the 1940s, and was succeeded in that position by his son, Geoffrey Freeman Allen, in 1950. [5]
Allen was a committed Christian and an accomplished organist, writing a chorus "The Lord has need of me". He was offered a place on the train when Mallard broke the world speed record in 1938, but declined the offer as the run was scheduled for a Sunday morning and clashed with his regular church (Christian Brethren) attendance.[ citation needed] He died on 5 February 1973. [6]
He wrote numerous books on locomotives, and railway company histories, as well as an autobiography "Two Million Miles of Train Travel": [4]
Cecil J Allen | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 1886 |
Died | 5 February 1973 |
Nationality | English |
Occupation | Railway engineer |
Employer(s) |
Great Eastern Railway London & North Eastern Railway |
Cecil John Allen [1] (1886 – 5 February 1973 [2]) was a British railway engineer and technical journalist and writer.
Allen qualified as a civil engineer and joined the Great Eastern Railway in 1903, later working for the London & North Eastern Railway retiring in 1946. [3] He inspected new rails for quality.
Allen also was the second contributor to the long-running British locomotive practice and performance article series in The Railway Magazine from 1909 to 1958, [4] He was concurrently editor of Trains Illustrated in the 1940s, and was succeeded in that position by his son, Geoffrey Freeman Allen, in 1950. [5]
Allen was a committed Christian and an accomplished organist, writing a chorus "The Lord has need of me". He was offered a place on the train when Mallard broke the world speed record in 1938, but declined the offer as the run was scheduled for a Sunday morning and clashed with his regular church (Christian Brethren) attendance.[ citation needed] He died on 5 February 1973. [6]
He wrote numerous books on locomotives, and railway company histories, as well as an autobiography "Two Million Miles of Train Travel": [4]