physics

Matthew Kirtley

Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley rather than just read about it. In short: Matthew Kirtley (6 February 1813 – 24 May 1873) was born at Tanfield, Durham. He was an important early locomotive engineer.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Matthew Kirtley (6 February 1813 – 24 May 1873) was born at Tanfield, Durham. He was an important early locomotive engineer.

Career

Early years At the age of thirteen he began work on the Stockton and Darlington Railway; he was fireman on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and was present at its opening. Eventually he became a driver on the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR). He is believed to have driven the first L&BR train (and the first main line train) to enter London.

Midland Railway

In 1839 he was appointed first a locomotive foreman, and then in 1841 Locomotive Superintendent of the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway. When that railway became one of the constituents of the Midland Railway, he became the Midland's Locomotive Superintendent. He was there Chief Mechanical Engineer from 1844 until he died in 1873. Hundreds of locomotives to his design existed, many of which were to last into the days of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, some fifty years later.

Locomotive designs MR 179 class 0-6-0 (1845) MR 137 class 2-4-0 (1846) MR 240 class 0-6-0 (1850) MR 130 class 2-2-2 (1852) MR 270 class 0-6-0 (1852) MR 280 class 0-6-0 (1853) MR 222 class 0-6-0WT (1860) MR 1063 class 0-6-0WT (1860) MR 30 class 0-6-0ST (1862) MR 50 class 2-4-0 (1862) MR 70 class 2-4-0 (1862) MR 80 class 2-4-0 (1862) MR 221 class 0-6-0ST (1863) MR 480 class 0-6-0 (1863) MR 101 class 2-4-0 (1866) MR 156 class 2-4-0 (1866) MR 170 class 2-4-0 (1867) MR 204 class 4-4-0T (1868) MR 230 class 2-4-0T (1868) MR 690 class 0-4-4T (1869) MR 700 class 0-6-0 (1869) MR 780 class 0-4-4T (1870) MR 800 class 2-4-0 (1870) MR 880 class 0-6-0T (1871) MR 890 class 2-4-0 (1871) MR 2066 class 0-6-0WT (1873)

Family Matthew Kirtley's brother Thomas Kirtley was also a locomotive engineer (on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (1847)) as was his nephew, William Kirtley, who served as locomotive superintendent on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, 1874-1898.

Legacy The Midland Railway Trust’s collection of locomotives, carriages and wagon is housed in what is now named the Matthew Kirtley Building.

References

External links Matthew Kirtley at steamindex

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Matthew Kirtley

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley

In research: Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley 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: Matthew Kirtley is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1813 births, 1873 deaths, English mechanical engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matthew Kirtley in simple terms?

Matthew Kirtley (6 February 1813 – 24 May 1873) was born at Tanfield, Durham. He was an important early locomotive engineer.

Why does Matthew Kirtley 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 Matthew Kirtley?

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 Matthew Kirtley.