Shaun McMahon
Shaun McMahon 1964-2022
Shaun McMahon joined the FR staff at Boston Lodge as a trainee technician-engineer in 1984 in the Signals and Telegraph Department.[1] He had previously had several stints as a volunteer fireman.[2] He worked closely with Phil Girdlestone from that time until Phil's death in 2016. In 1984 he wrote twice to FR Magazine: once to say two double engines were enough for the FR and once to explain reignition of Earl of Merioneth's top end fire after a blow out.[3][4] He wrote a letter critical of the FR Society's officials and their contact with young volunteers to FR Magazine in 1986.[5] By 1987 he was engaged to trainee fireman Fiona Muir.[6] Shaun left the FR in 1989 when he went to work on the Vale of Rheidol Railway. He was involved with water treatment schemes on several UK heritage lines and formed a partnership with Nigel Day to carry out a number of steam locomotive re-draftings. His interest in drafting of steam locomotives was illustrated by a letter he wrote in 1992 from Aberystwyth to FR Magazine on the subject of Linda's chimney.[7]
In 1994 he moved to South Africa to become Assistant Mechanical Engineer to Phil Girdlestone at the Alfred County Railway and was there when experiments were being made to improve the NGG16s (Beyer Garratts). He worked on the overhauling of Nos. 138 and 143 that were bought for the WHR. In 1999 he moved to Argentina as Technical Manager for the Argentine railway development company Tranex Turismo S. A. He worked on the Ferrorail Austral Fueguino on Terra del Fuego. This 500 mm gauge tourist railway is committed to steam locomotive haulage on a steeply graded line 7 km long.
In his early years in Argentina he worked with the guidance of the famous locomotive engineer and designer Livio Dante Porta. He was often involved with putting Porta's ideas into practice on the Tierra del Fuego project. From 2009 Shaun worked for INTI, the government scientific establishment in Buenas Aires where Porta had been head of the Thermodynamics Department. Shaun was actively involved with locomotive rebuilds and improvement up to his sudden death in Argentina at the untimely age of 57 years old, apparently due to Covid-19. He left behind his wife, Betti.[8]
A Festipedia contributor was in touch with Shaun by email, not long before he died, to request material for Phil Girdlestone's Festipedia page.[9] Shaun was rather busy at the time preparing a rolling stock proposal to present to the President of Argentina! Although under pressure of work, he generously promised something, but his time ran out. What form of propulsion was involved we may never find out.
In December 2024 Bob Harris wrote:[10]
"Shaun McMahon turned up at Boston Lodge in the latter half of the 1970s. He was about 14 or 15 years old, but looked older. There was a period when volunteer firemen were in very short supply. Shaun was a very keen young fellow and gravitated towards the engines. Paul Dukes noted this and after a few previous footplate rides, deemed him ready to go out on his own. Needs must! I did not have too much interaction with him, but did answer all of his many questions, especially about the oil burners.
I left the FR in October of 1978. I believe hat he became very friendly with Phil Girdlestone during the 1980s, at Boston Lodge. The next time that I saw him was on a visit back to the UK and I went to visit the recently privatised Vale of Rheidol Railway. At that time Shaun was working with Terry Turner on loco work. It was quite a while later that I found out that he had gone to work in Argentina and was a disciple of Porta and after being a similar disciple of Phil Girdlestone and others, in the quest of the Super Efficient Steam Locomotive. Which he embraced with energetic verve.
He got back in touch with me during one of our mutual trips to the UK. We met him, and his wife Betti, on a number of occasions over the later years on UK visits. We spoke about his work in Argentina and his continuing loco engineering work until his last visit to the UK. It was such a shock to learn of his untimely death. A man that was an innovator, but born about a generation too late."
References[edit]
- ^ "Shaun McMahan 1964-2022", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 257, page(s): 359
- ^ "Personnel", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 108, page(s): 14
- ^ "Correspondence: Locomotivery again", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 105, page(s): 29
- ^ "Correspondence: Gricers as Grasses", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 106, page(s): 34
- ^ "Correspondence: The Ageing Society", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 112, page(s): 49
- ^ "Personnel", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 118, page(s): 14
- ^ "Correspondence: Linda's Chimney II", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 138, page(s): 247-248
- ^ "Personal and Personnel", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 256, page(s): 279
- ^ Temple M L (2022) Email from Shaun.
- ^ Harris R (2024) Personal message to Temple M L dated 7/12/2024
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