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The Locomotive & Carriage Institution of Great Britain, a uniface gold award medal, locomotive wheel, dates 1911 and 1936 above, back named (Presented to J. Clayton, M.B.E., M.I.L.E., Asst. to Chief Mechanical Engineer S. Rly, President, by Members in appreciation of Past Services), hallmarked jw ltd Birmingham 1936, 34 x 28mm, 9ct, 11.37g. Extremely fine, rare (£100-150)

James Clayton, MBE (†Wimbledon October 1946, aged 74), a wiry man ‘of medium height and spare in build’, occupied a seminal position in locomotive design in the early part of the 20th century. He served his apprenticeship with Beyer Peacock from 1886 to 1893 and at the Technical School in Manchester where he gained the Queen’s Prizeman award. Returning to Beyer Peacock’s drawing office, he was recruited to a similar position with the London South Eastern & Chatham Railway at Ashford in 1899. In 1904-5 he was employed by the Motor Manufacturing Company in Coventry as their chief draughtsman and assistant works manager, then moved to the Midland Railway at Derby where he acquired the nickname ‘Swish’ from the rapidity with which he darted from place to place. In 1914 he rejoined the SECR as chief locomotive draughtsman, advancing to the position of deputy to Richard E.L. Maunsell (†1944), the head designer.

Sold with much further background information, including a copy of the speech Clayton made as president of the Institution on 19 December 1936, when he was presented with this medal