physics

Martin Atock

Martin Atock is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Martin Atock rather than just read about it. In short: Martin Atock, also formerly known as Martin Attock, was an English railway engineer, who is best known as the Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) from 1872 to 1900. Life Atock was born in June 1834 in Preston, Lancashire to George and Hephzibah Attock.

Key takeaways

Martin Atock belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Martin Atock to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Martin Atock from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Martin Atock, also formerly known as Martin Attock, was an English railway engineer, who is best known as the Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) from 1872 to 1900.

Life Atock was born in June 1834 in Preston, Lancashire to George and Hephzibah Attock. His baptism took place in the parish church of Preston Minster on 26 June 1834 where the Reverend Roger Carus Wilson recorded his name as Martin Atock using the common spelling of the surname for the locality rather than that of his father. He moved to Stratford, London when his father George (Atock) Attock became Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), a predecessor of the Great Eastern Railway. He followed father into railway engineering becoming a draftsman. At a meeting of the ECR on 8 July 1857 he was appointed chief draughtsman at wages of £2 10s per week, and was noted as having resigned from the ECR as outdoor foreman of the locomotive department on 6 November 1861. He married in 1859. In 1861, he relocated to Limerick, Ireland in 1861 to take up an appointment as Locomotive Superintendent to the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway. Whilst there he organised a reading room for the locomotive men at Limerick; incorporated a new wage structure, and persuaded the directors to reduce the weekly working hours down from 58 to the recommended 54 hours per week. His final post was of Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway at Broadstone works from 1872. Following his retirement in 1900 he died in November 1901 following a short trip to London.

Family Several members of the Atock/Attock family were involved in railway engineering, including his son Thomas on the MGWR and his younger brother Frederick Attock of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

Engineering

The fly-away cab was the most distinctive attribute of a Martin Atock locomotive. They were problematic running in reverse and new locomotives and rebuilds after his departure quickly changed to a conventional square cab design. Atock is credited with bringing a degree of standardisation to the MGWR. He implemented a policy of renewing or rebuilding rolling stock every 20 years or so. He was aided by the expansion of Broadstone works in 1878 making it more suitable for the construction of locomotives. It can be said Atock never designed as bad locomotive at the MGWR. He moved away from the 4-2-0 preference of his predecessor, favoured 0-6-0 for freight and 2-4-0 for passenger/mixed passenger during his tenure. He produced a useful 0-6-0T for branch and shunting. He seemed to avoid 4-4-0 and all bogie designs until the final design of his era, there are various speculations whether this was due to the influence of his successor Cusack or the success of the 4-4-0 elsewhere. On his retirement all MGWR locomotives were of his design apart from MGWR Class H that he had recommended be purchased for a bargain price.

Notes

References

Sources Clements, Jeremy; McMahon, Michael (2008). Locomotives of the GSR. Colourpoint Books. ISBN 9781906578268. Jones, Harry; ECR (2019). File E Engineering & Traffic Committees 1849-50 & 1857-1862 (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2019. Shepherd, Ernie (1994). The Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland - An illustrated History. Midland Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-85780-008-7. Shepherd, Ernie (2006). Waterford Limerick & Western Railway. ISBN 0-7110-3147-9. Shepherd, Ernie (2009). The Atock/Attock Family: A Worldwide Railway Engineering Dynasty. Vol. 150. Oakwood Library of Railway History. ISBN 978-0853616818.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Martin Atock

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Martin Atock claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Martin Atock before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Martin Atock ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Martin Atock

In research: Martin Atock appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Martin Atock in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Martin Atock is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1834 births, 1901 deaths, English railway mechanical engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Martin Atock outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Martin Atock in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Martin Atock means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Martin Atock out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Martin Atock in simple terms?

Martin Atock, also formerly known as Martin Attock, was an English railway engineer, who is best known as the Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) from 1872 to 1900. Life Atock was born in June 1834 in Preston, Lancashire to George and Hephzibah Attock.

Why does Martin Atock matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Martin Atock?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Martin Atock.