- Fairbairn, Sir William (1789—1874)
- Engineer. Born in Kelso (Scottish Borders), the son of a farmer, Fairbairn left the land for England to become an apprentice mill-wright. He set up a business to manufacture mill machinery in Manchester before moving to London, where he opened a shipyard and became a pioneer of the use of iron in the construction of ships. He built the first iron-hulled steamship the Lord Dundas. When assisting Robert Stephenson in the construction of his Conway and the Menai Strait bridges in North Wales, Fairbairn developed the idea of using tubular steel as a construction material. This was both stronger and lighter than solid steel. He set up an iron-works in Manchester which produced boilers for steam engines and locomotives. He was knighted in 1869.
- Fairburn, Charles Edward (1887—1945)
- Chief Mechanical Engineer
 from 1944 to 1945 for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway.
- Findlay, Sir George (1829—1893)
- 1864 — Appointed by the LNWR as General Goods Manager, based at Euston.
1874 —Succeeded Mr William Cawkell as Chief Traffic Manager for the LNWR.
1880 — Appointed General Manager of the LNWR. 
- Gooch, Sir Daniel (1816—1889)
- First CME and later chairman of the GWR.
- Greenly, Henry (1876—1947)
- He was a pioneer of miniature passenger-carrying railways. In 1901 to become assistant editor of The Model Engineer. In 1906 he became a consulting engineer in model subjects and for many years worked with W.J. Bassett Lowke designing locomotives for miniature railways in Britain and abroad. About this time he started a monthly magazine devoted to models, railways and locomotives which ended in 1916. In 1922 he became engineer to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway which, under his guidance, was converted to 15in gauge. He was also associated with the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch 15in gauge line from its inception in 1926 until its completion in 1930. His books: Model steam locomotives, 1922, Model electric locomotives and railways, 1922 and Model railways, 1924 did much to establish model railways in Britain.
- Gresley, Sir Herbert Nigel (1876—1941)
- After training on the LNWR and L&YR, he was the carriage and wagon superintendent on the GNR 1905–1911, then CME of the GNR 1911–1922 and LNER 1923–1941. Designer of many very successful engines, he implemented numerous design features such as superheating, conjugated valve gear and the use of three cylinders. Among his most successful designs are the Pacifics, classes A1, later A3, and A4, one member of which, Mallard, is the fastest steam locomotive ever.
- Hackworth, Timothy (1786—1850)
- Locomotive pioneer, born at Wylam, Northumberland; in charge of the Stockton & Darlington Railway locomotives and machinery from 1825. He built the 0-4-0 ‘Sans Pareil’ in 1829 for the Rainhill Trials; this engine subsequently worked on the Bolton & Leigh Railway until 1844 and is now in the Science Museum, London, with its competitor, Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’. His last locomotive, a 2-2-2 also named ‘Sans Pareil’ was of a very advanced design, with a partly welded boiler. It ran on the LNWR in 1849, but was returned and worked successfully on the North Eastern Railway until 1881. “Hackworth has an assured place in railway history as the first to establish the steam locomotive as a thoroughly reliable machine” (John Marshall).
- Hedley, William (1779—1843)
- Pioneer of steam engines and introduced locomotives that did not require a rack and pinion system to operate, that adhesion was simply enough. His locomotives Wylam Dilly and Puffing Billy, built in 1813 and 1814 respectively, are preserved.
- Hughes, George (1865—1945)
- Chief Mechanical Engineer from 1904 to 1921 for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway , also for the London North Western Railway from 1921–1922 and the London, Midland & Scottish Railway from 1923 to 1925.
- Ivatt, Henry Alfred (1851—1923)
- At age 17 apprenticed at Crewe under Ramsbottom and Webb. Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Northern Railway from 1896 to 1911.
- Ivatt, Henry George (1886—1972)
- Son of H.A. Ivatt. Chief Mechanical Engineer from 1945 to 1947 for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway and then for British Railways (London Midland Region) until 1951.
- Joy, David (1825—1903)
- Locomotive and Marine engineer, designer of the radial Joy valve gear, carried by numerous L&Y and LNWR locomotives.
- Kirtley, Matthew (1813—1873)
- First Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Railway, designer of many locomotives, one of which is preserved at the Midland Railway centre, Butterley, Derbyshire. Pioneered the combination of the brick arch and fire hole deflector plate, to facilitate coal being used as the fuel instead of coke. Born 1813. Died 1873.
- Locke, Joseph (1805—1860)
- Locke was sole chief engineer of the GJR from 1835 to 1846, and though engaged mainly on construction and civil engineering he had the top-level surveillance of the mechanical engineering side. He was the sponsor of what became known as the ‘Crewe Type’ locomotive. He had a marked aversion to tunnels, because of which the Lancaster and Carlisle main line has the famous climb to Shap summit, for which trains often required banking engines.
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