John G. Robinson
John George Robinson CBE, was an English railway engineer, and was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Central Railway from 1900 to 1922.
Early life
Born at Newcastle upon Tyne, the second son of Matthew Robinson, a locomotive engineer, and his wife Jane, Robinson was educated at the Chester Grammar School, and in 1872 commenced an engineering apprenticeship with the Great Western Railway at Swindon Works, as a pupil of Joseph Armstrong. In 1878 he became assistant to his father Matthew Robinson at Bristol, and in 1884 joined the Waterford and Limerick Railway as their locomotive, carriage and wagon assistant superintendent. He was promoted to superintendent the following year.Great Central Railway
In 1900 Robinson joined the Great Central Railway as locomotive and marine superintendent and in 1902 was appointed chief mechanical engineer. He remained in that post until 1922, when prior to the Great Central's grouping into the London and North Eastern Railway he declined the post of chief mechanical engineer of the LNER, choosing instead to step aside for the younger Nigel Gresley. Robinson was awarded a CBE in 1920.Robinson's first passenger locomotive design for the GCR was Class 11B 4-4-0, of which 40 were built between 1901 and 1904, the last being withdrawn by British Railways in 1950. Robinson followed in 1913 with the larger Class 11E "Director" Class 4-4-0 locomotive, which was used on GCR express trains from London Marylebone to Sheffield Victoria and Manchester London Road. Ten were built, followed by eleven "Improved Director" locomotives during 1920–1924.
Robinson's famous GCR Class 8K 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive was introduced in 1911 and many more were built for the Railway Operating Division of the Royal Engineers in 1917. Some of these reliable locomotives, of which over 400 were built, remained in service with the LNER and later British Railways until 1966.
Locomotive classes credited to Robinson
Waterford and Limerick Railway
| Introduced | Wheel Arrangement | Purpose | Notes |
| 1889 | 2-4-0 | Express Passenger | |
| 1891 | 2-4-2T | Passenger Tank | for Limerick and Tralee line, 2 in class |
| 1895 | 0-4-4T | Tank Engine | for Limerick, Ennis and Tuam Line, 2 in class |
| 1896 | 4-4-2T | Tank Engine | 4 in class |
| 1896 | 4-4-0 | Express Passenger | for Waterford to Limerick boat trains, 3 in class |
| 1899 | 0-6-0 | Standard Goods Engine | 8 in class |
Great Central Railway
Preserved Robinson locomotives
Two Robinson-designed locomotives are preserved in the UK:- 4-4-0 Improved Director GCR Class 11F No. 506 Butler–Henderson, which is preserved at the National Railway Museum, York, and currently on display at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire
- 2-8-0 GCR Class 8K No. 102, also owned by the National Railway Museum is on loan to the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. It is currently operational and used on demonstration goods trains.
- 2-8-0 ROD ROD 1984 preserved by the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum
- 2-8-0 ROD ROD 2003 this loco was actually built by the GCR at Gorton Works and is preserved by the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum
- 2-8-0 ROD ROD 2004 this loco was actually built by the GCR at Gorton Works and is preserved by the Richmond Vale Railway Museum