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Edgar Claxton
MBE, MICE, MIEE, AIME
Born7 July 1910
Marylebone
Died13 August 2000, aged 90
Oxford
Resting placeSt Laurence churchyard, Shotteswell, Warwickshire
NationalityBritish
EducationMerchant Taylors' School, Northwood
University College London
Engineering career
InstitutionsInstitution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Electrical Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Employer(s)British Railways Board
ProjectsElectrification of the British railway system
AwardsM.B.E.

Background

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Edgar Claxton came from a comfortable, professional family originally from Cambridgeshire who, by the time he was born, were settled in London. His paternal great grandfather was Jesse Claxton senior (Ely ca.1806 – Ely 1870),[1] a solicitor of 75 Broad Street, Ely. His great grandmother was Sarah Boyce Creak (Ely ca.1828 – Marylebone 1921),[2][3] whom Jesse senior married in 1850.[4] In 1874, after Jesse's death, Sarah remarried to Gaius Busby.[5] Claxton's paternal grandfather was Jesse Claxton junior (Ely 20 February 1850 - Northwood 29 March 1917),[6][7][8] an assistant clerk to the Guardians' registrar of birth and deaths, working "at home at Guardians' offices", which were part of the 1867 extension of the workhouse in Northumberland Street.[9][10] Jesse junior married on 21 August 1878;[11][12] his wife was Mary Elizabeth Scales (Cambridge 1854 - Thanet 1937).[13][14][15] Jesse junior is buried in Northwood Cemetery, London.[16][17]

 
St Marylebone Workhouse. Ted Claxton and his father Jesse worked in the offices here

Claxton's father Edgar "Ted" Claxton was born in Marylebone on 10 June 1883.[18] Edgar was employed by the St Marylebone Guardians, being paid £30 per annum when appointed as second temporary junior assistant clerk at the age of 16 years.[19] In 1907, Edgar was promoted from sixth assistant clerk with £75 per year, to fifth assistant clerk and settlement officer with £100 per annum. At the age of 24, he was already the deputy registrar of the All Souls Registration District of the Marylebone parish.[20] Until 1908 Ted lived with his parents and three sisters Edith Mary (b. Marylebone 1881),[14][21] dressmaker Bertha Elizabeth W. (Marylebone 1882 – Bridge 1952),[14][22][23][24] and milliner Dora (b. Marylebone 1886),[14][25] at 60 Charlotte Street, Marylebone.[14][24]

Claxton's mother was Nellie Mildred "Helen" Petty, whose father was George Masters Petty (Wilton 1855 – West Ealing 17 February 1940),[26] of 9 Rectory Road, West Hackney, a rent collector and tithe agent from Wiltshire.[27] Helen was the eldest of four siblings, the other three being: Edith Annie (b. Hackney 1885),[28] William George Masters (Hackney 3 January 1888 – Watford 1981),[29][30] and Elsie Emily (b. Hackney 1891).[31][32] Helen was born in West Hackney in 1883.[33] Ted and Helen married in July 1908.[34][35] By 1911, Ted was a poor law settlement officer,[nb 1] and they were living in Marylebone.[36] Helen was the honorary piano accompanist for the Northwood Choral Society.[37] Helen died in Uxbridge on 21 February 1945, aged 61 years,[38] She left £397 9s 5d.[39] A year after Helen's death, Ted Claxton married Mary Beatrice Eustance in Edmonton in 1946.[nb 2][40]

Ted died on 5 February 1971 at Hillingdon, Middlesex, aged 87 years.[41] The probate of his will was dated 8 September 1971, he left £13,684.[42]

Private life

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St Laurence Shotteswell, where Claxton is buried

Edgar Claxton was born in Marylebone on 7 July 1910, and died in Oxford on 13 August 2000).[43][44][45] He first appeared in the newspapers at the age of two years, having attended the wedding of his maternal aunt Edith Annie Petty, which was somewhat generously paid for by his grandfather George Masters Petty of Shepherd's Bush. To the long, expensive list of wedding gifts, the toddler Edgar was credited with the contribution of a rolling pin.[46] He attended Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, and in 1939 he gained First Class Honours in civil engineering at University College London.[47]

In 1928, soon after his 18th birthday, Claxton's motor car was in a collision with a motorcycle in Northwood. The pillion rider of the motorcycle, 19-year-old Beatrice Davis, was killed, having been "tossed in the air, landing on her neck.[48] In 1964–1965 Claxton was living at 49 Hallowell Road, Hillingdon.[49] In 1969 he was living at 47 Grange Gardens, Pinner.[47]

Career

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In the 1930s Claxton was trained in mechanical engineering by Sir Nigel Gresley at the London North Eastern Railway.[44] In 1959 he was the assistant electrical engineer (development), for the chief electrical engineer's department, British Railways central staff, British Transport Commission (BTC).[50][51] Following pioneer electrification of the Aix-les-Bains to La Roche-sur-Foron line, and the Valenciennes to Thionville line in 1954, the BTC asked Edgar Claxton to chair a "committee to review electrification strategy for main lines."[52]

He read a paper at the British Railways Electrification Conference in 1960.[51][53] He "was part of the team setting up the first overhead wires for electrification of the mainline railway and was involved in the project commemorated" in the British Railways booklet, Change at Crewe (1960). This brochure details "the completion of Stage One, Manchester-Crewe of the Manchester-Liverpool-Euston Electrification Scheme."[54][55]

By 1969, Claxton was the fixed equipment projects engineer for the British Railways Board. He was "involved in all British Railway electrification projects throughout the country, and [was] responsible for the design and procurement of all the equipment, and for the electrification side of the projects."[47] He was involved in the design of the Channel Tunnel and in the railway electrification systems of Brazil, Romania and Finland.[44]

Awards and institutions

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In 1946, Claxton was elected an Associate of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He was living in Bath at the time.[56] He was a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (MICE) and a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (MIEE).[51] For his work he was awarded an MBE in the 1969 Birthday Honours of Elizabeth II.[57]

Claxton's team's overhead lines in 1960

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Main article: Overhead lines
 
Plaques commemorating electrification at Glasgow, 1960

According to Claxton's Overhead Line Equipment paper of 1960, the lines included in the electrification plan were: Manchester–Crewe; Liverpool–Crewe; Crewe-Euston; Colchester–Clacton–Walton; Liverpool Street–Chelmsford–Southend; Liverpool Street–Enfield–Chingford–Hertford–Bishop's Stortford; London–Tilbury–Southend; Glasgow Surburban Stage I; Chelmsford–Colchester.[51]

Claxton and his team faced and resolved a number of challenges to the installation of the overhead electrification system. Overhead lines were considered less dangerous and more convenient than an electrified third rail which could not be used on level crossings and in the rail yards. However there was dense traffic at speeds of up to 100 mph on the above routes and the trains would have to leave the main tracks when not in use. There was often little room between the train roofs and the bridges, bridges could not always be raised, and lowering the track level below bridges was not always feasible. The damp British atmosphere threatened to facilitate corrosion in electrical installations, while maintenance costs had to be limited.[51]

Where tunnels could not be adapted for space, lower-voltage equipment was fitted in. "Welded-and-braced portal structures and extensive trials with tubular structures" formed part of the solution for carrying the equipment. They spent a lot on compound structures, non-ferrous fittings and special insulators to protect equipment from weathering and air pollution, making it safe for fast trains. Where there had to be neutral sections and gaps in electrification, special equipment was designed for the transition between differing power supplies. Regarding this challenge, Claxton said in 1960, "Section insulators of high performance have been provided and advanced high-speed bi-directional designs have now been developed." At that stage in 1960, the team was investigating "less expensive galvanised live-side fittings, simple high-speed sectioning devices and the use of glass-fibre and toughened glass." They were aiming to save construction and maintenance costs, and simplify the design, while making sure that the equipment would work properly and last well.[51][58]

In October 1960, Ernest Marples said, "It will be the technical advances that will decide the attraction of rail travel in the future. There is the news of the Manchester-Crewe electrification. There is the news of the Kent electrification, which has brought about a 36 per cent. increase in passengers over the previous steam traction."[59]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Settlement" in this context refers to a requirement that a parish supports its registered poor. The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 repealed previous settlement laws, and replaced them with the idea of workhouses.
  2. ^ A Mary Beatrice Eustance was born in Runcorn in 1896. Source: Births Sep 1896 Eustance Mary Beatrice Runcorn 8a 205

References

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  1. ^ Deaths Dec 1870 Claxton Jesse 65 Ely 3b 396
  2. ^ 1851 England Census HO107 1764 Schedule 377, p.18
  3. ^ Deaths Dec 1921 Busby Sarah B. 91 Marylebone 1a 702
  4. ^ Marriages Mar 1850 Claxton, Jesse and Creak, Sarah Boyce, Ely XIV 93
  5. ^ "Cambridge: married". Bury and Norwich Post. British Newspaper Archive. 23 June 1874. p. 6 col.2. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  6. ^ Births Jun 1850 Claxton Jesse Ely XIV 61
  7. ^ Deaths Mar 1917 Claxton Jesse 67 Uxbridge 3a 64
  8. ^ "Deaths". Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 6 April 1917. p. 8 col.7. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  9. ^ "St Marylebone Board of Guardians". search.lma.gov.uk. City of London Corporation: London Metropolitan Archives. 1834–1943. Retrieved 3 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) (Records of Claxton's work are possibly included in this record set)
  10. ^ "St Marylebone Workhouse". pastscape.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  11. ^ Marriages Sep 1878 Claxton, Jesse and Scales, Mary Elizabeth, Cambridge 3b 767
  12. ^ "Marriages". Cambridge Independent Press. British Newspaper Archive. 24 August 1878. p. 8 col.7. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  13. ^ Births Jun 1854 Scales Mary Elizabeth Cambridge 3b 488
  14. ^ a b c d e "1901 England Census". ancestry.co.uk. 1901. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  15. ^ Deaths Mar 1937 Claxton Mary E. 82 Thanet 2a 1915
  16. ^ "Jesse Claxton". findagrave.com. Find a Grave. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Funeral of Mr J. Claxton". Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 6 April 1917. p. 5 col.5. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  18. ^ Births Sep 1883 Claxton Edgar Marylebone 1a 522
  19. ^ "St Marylebone Guardians: more building operations, increases of salaries". Marylebone Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 24 June 1899. p. 5 col.4. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Marylebone Guardians: Promotion". Marylebone Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 2 November 1907. p. 6 col.4. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  21. ^ Births Jun 1881 Claxton Edith Mary Marylebone 1a 520
  22. ^ Births Jun 1882 Claxton Bertha Elizabeth W. Marylebone 1a 527
  23. ^ Deaths Jun 1952 Claxton Bertha E.W. 70 Bridge 5b 50
  24. ^ a b 1911 England Census, schedule 192, p.384
  25. ^ Births Mar 1886 Claxton Dora Marylebone 1a 562
  26. ^ Births Dec 1855 Petty George Masters Wilton 5a 173
  27. ^ "1891 England Census RG12/185, schedule 80". ancestry.co.uk. 1891. p. 7. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  28. ^ Births Mar 1885 Petty Edith Annie Hackney 1b 527
  29. ^ Births Mar 1888 Petty William George M. Hackney 1b 502
  30. ^ Deaths Mar 1981 Petty William George M 03 JA 1888 Watford 10 1025
  31. ^ Births Mar 1891 Petty Elsie Emily Hackney 1b 489
  32. ^ 1891 England Census RG12/185 schedule 80 p.7
  33. ^ Births Dec 1883 Petty Nellie Mildred Hackney 1b 477
  34. ^ Marriages Sep 1908 Petty Nellie Mildred Fulham and Claxton Edgar 1a 686
  35. ^ "St Thomas Hammersmith, Godolphin Road, Hammersmith and Fulham. Ref. P80/TMS". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 31 October 2020. St Thomas combined with Stephen, and St Thomas closed in 1963.
  36. ^ 1911 England Census, Schedule 134, p.227
  37. ^ "Northwood and District news: Choral Society". Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 15 July 1927. p. 6 col.2. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  38. ^ Deaths Mar 1945 Claxton Nellie M. 61 Uxbridge 3a 148
  39. ^ 1945 Probates p.208
  40. ^ Marriages Jun 1946 Eustance, Mary B. and Claxton, Edgar Edmonton 3a 2261
  41. ^ Deaths Mar 1971 Claxton Edgar 10 Je 1883 Hillingdon 5c 848
  42. ^ 1971 Probates, p.219
  43. ^ Births Dec 1910 Claxton Edgar Marylebone 1a 413
  44. ^ a b c "Edgar Claxton". findagrave.com. Find a Grave. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  45. ^ Deaths Sep 2000 Claxton Edgar 7 Ju 1910 age 90 Oxford 7021A 270
  46. ^ "Wedding at Shepherd's Bush". West London Observer. British Newspaper Archive. 16 August 1912. p. 7 col.3. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  47. ^ a b c "Honours for local people in the Queen's Birthday List: Rail work". Harrow Observer. British Newspaper Archive. 17 June 1969. p. 11 col.8. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  48. ^ "Pillion rider killed in a Northwood collision". Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 13 July 1928. p. 9 col.3. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  49. ^ London, England, Electoral Registers, 1964 and 1965, Hillingdon, Ruislip and Northwood LCC/PER/B/2953 and LCC/PER/B/3059. The names Minnie, Kate and Fanny appear alongside his on the Electoral Register 1964-65.
  50. ^ Sadler, Ralph Ernest (February 1959). "Paper 6320: Development in overhead electrification of railways as it affects the civil engineer". Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers. 12. ICE Publishing: 637, 638. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  51. ^ a b c d e f Claxton, Edgar Bsc(Eng), MICE, MIEE. (1960). "Paper 6 (621-332-3): The overhead line equipment" (PDF). barrowmoremrg.co.uk. British Railways Electrification Conference. Retrieved 31 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ Duffy, Michael C. (2003). Electric Railways 1880-1990 (Volume 31 of IEE History of technology series: Institution of Electrical Engineers ed.). IET. p. 274. ISBN 9780852968055. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  53. ^ "British Railways Electrification Conference 1960". barrowmoremrg.co.uk. British Railways. 1960. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  54. ^ Claxton, Edgar (1960). Change at Crewe. London: British Railways. Retrieved 2 November 2020. Now in the archives of the Science and Industry Museum
  55. ^ "Change at Crewe". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/. Science Museum Group. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  56. ^ "Local men honoured". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 29 June 1946. p. 11 col.6. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  57. ^ "M.B.E. To be Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order". Suppklement to the London Gazette. London Gazette. 14 June 1969. p. 5974. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  58. ^ "British Railways Electrification Conference London 1960: Railway Electrification at Industrial Frequency - Proceedings". railwaysarchive.co.uk. Railways Archive. 1960. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  59. ^ Marples, Ernest (26 October 1960). "Hansard: British Railways". api.parliament.uk. British Goverment. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
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