Alan C Clothier

1928 - 2018

Alan Clothier was born in Bristol in 1928. He attended Sexey's School, Bruton from 1939 to 1944 when he started a five year apprenticeship at Swindon Works. His experience included Severn Tunnel Pumping Station, steam crane inspections, Laira Depot for training in motive power, Shed Master at Cardiff East Dock; Work Study in South Wales 1956, Assistant Running and Maintenance Officer, Newton Abbott 1959; Assistant Divisional Maintenance Engineer, Bristol 1963; Divisional Maintenance Engineer, Newcastle March 1965 until November 1977; secondment to Transmark for Egyptian National Railway; Joined Transmark permanently in 1978; work in Egypt, Malaysia, Canada, USA, Sudan; retired December 1983. Retirement activities were recorded as Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway, SLS and WW2 Railway Study Group.

Alan Clothier attended the 1951 Bristol Meeting. His career with BR included modifications to steam locomotives (double chimneys for Castles and Kings) and then on diesels. He ended his career after a considerable period in charge of diesel locomotive maintenance at Newcastle. In 2014 he published a book "Beyond the Blaydon Races" about early tramways which carried coal to the Tyne. The area covered by this book is mainly that of the five wagonways delivering coal to their staithes on the River Tyne at Lemington from collieries at Wylam, Heddon, Throckley, Walbottle, Hollywell and Black Callerton.

Alan in more recent years worked with Anthony Massau and others in a project to build, at the Severn Valley Railway, a British Railways Class 3 2-6-2 tank locomotive. The project is the 82045 Locomotive Trust. The connection with the BR Class 3 engines came about through his work in the Design Office at Swindon where one of his tasks involved finding the optimum angle for the spectacle plate window glasses for the reduction of reflected glare from the fire when working (in reverse?) at night. The cab back sheet and rear bunker of 82405 were built by the FR at Boston Lodge (completed 2015) and the water tanks were built by the WHR at Dinas.

Anthony Massau wrote on 2/11/2021 as follows about Alan Clothier's involvement with the 82405 Trust:

"Alan Clothier became a member of The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust and came to see us at Bridgnorth some years ago but further visits became impossible due to a deterioration in his wife's health which kept him confined to home. Since then he has sadly passed away himself. As you are probably aware he was involved in the design of the new BR Standard class 3 tank engines as a young draughtsman at Swindon loco works and he told us of a visit there from Stuart Cox overall head of design for the BR Standard locos who said regarding the class 3 tanks " whatever you do you must keep the overall weight of the completed locomotive down due to the weight restrictions, etc. on some of the rural routes that these tank engines will run on". Alan also related that the water tanks gave trouble on the early engines with splits and leaks occurring. He said some of the steel provided to construct the tanks was poor quality and the fabricators sometimes did things their own way rather than follow the drawings. A new revised drawing was eventually produced which is what we provided to the F&WHR to use at Dinas.":

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  The bunker nearly complete in 2015.
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  82405's cab backsheet and bunker at Boston Lodge.
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  VIPs at the Bristol Meeting Anniversary in 2001. Alan Clothier on the far left. Photo credit FRS Bristol Group Collection.

Alan Clothier died at Whitley Bay, aged 90 in 2018. At that point he was one of only three attenders to the 1951 Bristol Meeting known to Bristol Area Group to still be alive - the others being Vic Mitchell and John Bate. (Bristol Group in 2024 found out they had overlooked Brian Holyland - but so had national FRS!)

The Alan Clothier Collection at the British Overseas Railway Historical Trust archive in Greenwich is a large collection of material on Egypt, which is not catalogued and is stored off site. Alan Clothier’s other papers have gone to the Robert Stephenson Trust or have been retained by his family. When working in Egypt for Egyptian State Railways he had access to their early records. He was a Director and Trustee of the Robert Stephenson Trust. With Bill Atkin he wrote the book "Locomotives and railcars of Egyptian State Railways" of 382 pages with 12 maps and diagrams and many photographs. It is published on demand by BORHT.

Alan Clothier was clearly not just a successful railwayman but also a long time lover of railway history as evidenced by his attendance at the 1951 Bristol Meeting and his retirement researches and publications.

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