Christopher Cumming

Christopher Cumming (1860–1933) was a British locomotive engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the Highland Railway from December 1915 until the 1923 Grouping. He is best remembered for two superheated 4-6-0 designs intended to relieve the wartime motive-power shortage on the Highland's heavily-graded northern main line.

Born at Edinburgh on 15 April 1860, Cumming was apprenticed at Cowlairs Works on the North British Railway and rose through the Great North of Scotland at Inverurie to become Works Manager. He succeeded Frederick Smith at Lochgorm in 1915, Smith having resigned over the failure of his ill-judged 'River Class' 4-6-0s, too heavy for the Highland permanent way.

The four Clan Goods 4-6-0s of 1917 and the eight Clan Class 4-6-0s of 1919 were sober, conservative engines working the Inverness–Perth and Inverness–Wick services until LMS rebuilding in the 1930s. He retired at Grouping and lived in Edinburgh until his death on 7 October 1933.