Charles John Bowen Cooke CBE (11 January 1859 – 18 October 1920) was born in Orton Longueville (then in Huntingdonshire) and was Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).^[2] He was the first to add superheating to the locomotives of the railway.^[3] He wrote a book called British locomotives: their history, construction; and modern development which was published in 1893,^[2] with a second edition in 1894, and third in 1899^[4][1] A second book, Developments in Locomotive Practice followed in 1902.^[2][5]

Whilst CME of the LNWR he was responsible for the introduction of several new locomotive designs, including the George the Fifth and Claughton classes.^[2]

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1918 New Year Honours for his efforts during the First World War.^[6]

He died on 18 October 1920 and is buried in the churchyard at St Just in Roseland, Cornwall.^[2]

• LNWR George the Fifth Class 4-4-0
• LNWR Queen Mary Class 4-4-0
• LNWR Class G 0-8-0
• LNWR Class G1 0-8-0
• LNWR Claughton Class 4-6-0
• LNWR Prince of Wales Class 4-6-0
• LNWR 1185 Class 0-8-2T
• LNWR Prince of Wales Tank Class 4-6-2T