Arnold Nicholson Moon (c1903-1947)
1948 Obituary [1]
"ARNOLD NICHOLSON MOON, B.Sc. (Eng.), throughout his career was in the service of the Midland Railway, both during its independent existence and after its absorption into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. After receiving his general education at Christ's Hospital, Horsham, he began in 1919 a five years' apprenticeship in the carriage and wagon department of the Midland Railway, at Derby, and during the same period continued his studies at Derby Municipal Technical College, where he obtained the College Diploma and graduated B.Sc. (Eng.). The remainder of his career was entirely spent in the same department. After successively occupying the positions of assistant to the chief inspector and gas inspector, he was made research and plant assistant, in which capacity he was responsible for all experiments and investigations in connection with rolling stock and works plant. He was promoted to leading draughtsman in 1934.
In 1937 he visited various firms in France in connection with the development of lightweight rolling stock. Mr. Moon, whose death occurred on 5th August 1947, at the age of forty-four, became a Student of the Institution in 1923 and was transferred to Graduateship in 1925 and to Associate Membership in 1935. He was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers."
1947 Obituary.[2]
Arnold Nicholson Moon, whose death occurred on Tuesday, 5th August 1947, at the age of 44, was associated with the L.M.S. Railway for the whole of his professional career. He was born in February 1903 and was educated at Christ’s Hospital, Horsham. He commenced his apprenticeship with the L.M.S. Railway in 1919, in the Derby carriage and wagon workshops, passing through all the principal manufacturing shops and concurrently studying at the Derby Technical College for his B.Sc.(Eng.) (London), degree, which he obtained in 1924, and subsequently obtaining further experience in the works drawing office, after which he was engaged on inspection and research work.
In 1934, the question of all steel welded construction of carriages and the introduction increasing attention, and Mr. Moon was given the opportunity to develop his ideas and theories in this connection, when he was put in charge of a specialised section of the C. & W. H.Q. Drawing Office of the L.M.S. Railway at Derby.
In 1937 he was a member of a party of L.M.S. officials who visited various machine and rolling stock manufacturing firms in France for purposes of studying the development of lightweight rolling stock.
He was an active member of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers, being elected an associate member in 1927 and passing to full membership in 1943. He was the author of the Paper “One hundred years of railway coaches,” which was read in London on ' the 15th March 1934, and the joint author with G. Foster of ” Welded carriage underframes,” which was read on 19th February 1947.
He was also an associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers; also a member of the Junior Institution of Engineers, and was awarded their Vickers Gold Medal for his Paper on Comfort in Railway Travel from the Engineer’s point of view,” which was read in London in 1925-6.
He was a man of very wide interests and had in the past few years applied himself to the many problems affecting the welfare and conditions of the railway professional and technical staffs.