Allen qualified as a
civil engineer and joined the
Great Eastern Railway in 1903, later working for the
London & North Eastern Railway retiring in 1946. He inspected new rails for quality. Allen also was the second contributor to the long-running
British locomotive practice and performance article series in
The Railway Magazine from 1909 to 1958, He was concurrently editor of
Trains Illustrated in the 1940s, and was succeeded in that position by his son,
Geoffrey Freeman Allen, in 1950. Allen was a committed Christian and an accomplished organist, writing a chorus "The Lord has need of me". He was offered a place on the train when
Mallard broke the world speed record in 1938, but declined the offer as the run was scheduled for a Sunday morning and clashed with his regular church (Christian Brethren) attendance. He died on 5 February 1973.
Bibliography He wrote numerous books on locomotives, and railway company histories, as well as an autobiography "Two Million Miles of Train Travel": ;Railway company histories • • • ;General railways • •
Railways of To-day: Their Evolution, Equipment and Operation. Frederick Warne & Company. 1929. • • • • • • • ;Other • ==See also==