Smith studied Geography at the University of Birmingham, England where he met Tom Boardman at the chess club, who went on to be one of his best friends and co-founder of Firebox.com, Smith's first business.
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In 1998 whilst in his early twenties, Smith co-founded online gadget and gift retailer Firebox.com with university friend Tom Boardman.
Cantilevering the weight of the firebox and the locomotive crew behind the driving axle placed more weight on the driving axle without substantially reducing the weight on the leading truck.
Spark arrestors were fitted at a later stage, along with a system for passing captured sparks back to the firebox.
However, this venture was unfulfilled and the locomotive (partially stripped down and with the boiler and firebox out of the frames) was moved to Inchicore Railway Works in the late 1990s while the running frames were moved to Whitehead, County Antrim in May 2003.
These modifications included outside Caprotti valve gear, roller bearings (both Timken and Skefco types) on the coupled and tender axles in varying combinations, and an experimental steel firebox.
In 1948 it was at Suez, needing a new firebox, and was almost scrapped, but was then returned to England in 1952 and overhauled at Derby Works.
The firm of Garrett also sought a reliable stayless firebox for their smaller boilers at around the same time in the 1920s.