Robert Francis Fairlie
Robert Francis Fairlie (born March 1831 in Scotland , † July 31, 1885 in London ) was a British engineer and inventor in railway construction .
Live and act
Robert Francis Fairlie was born in Scotland in March 1831 to an engineer. He trained as a railway engineer in Crewe , Cheshire and Swindon , Wiltshire .
In 1853, the year in which the rail link between Londonderry and Coleraine in Ireland to Castlerock was completed, Fairlie took over the position of managing director of the Londonderry & Coleraine Railway Company . Later he went in 1856 for a few years after India and took a similar position in the Bombay Baroda Central India Railway Company , the company, which later CEO, Nery Haymen him in August 1861 before the Court of Queen's Bench to 10,000 British pounds for pain and suffering sued for insult and damage to reputation (allegation of bribery). With a fine of 500 pounds, the matter was finally settled. On his return to England he worked as a technical advisor, settled in Gracechurch Street in London and from 1859 worked with the Honorable Artillery Company (HAC).
On January 5, 1862, Fairlie married his wife, Eliza Anna England , named Lily . Later on April 7, 1862, he had to answer for perjury before the Old Bailey , before which his father-in-law and employer, the locomotive designer George England , had brought him. Fairlie had faked his father-in-law's consent the day before the marriage. The proceedings against Fairlie , however, came to nothing, as it turned out during the trial that Fairlie's wife was not legally considered the biological daughter of George England , as she was born out of wedlock.
On May 12, 1864, Fairlie was awarded the letters patent number 1210 for his invention Improvements in Locomotive Engines and Boilers , a success for his eight long years of work since 1856. The patent, which supports on 14 partly fold-out pages and with 21 drawings, his principle for doubling the power of locomotives under the term: " double bogie engine " ( German : double bogie machine ) was first technically implemented by James Cross & Co. in 1865 for the Neath & Brecon Railway Company .
In 1876 there were already 34 railway lines on which Fairlie locomotives were running. In 1884 Fairlie got an order in Venezuela to design a new railway line. But shortly after his arrival, he fell ill with malaria, then known as jungle fever . He returned to England and died of complications from the disease on July 31, 1885 in London.
But his invention continued to spread. 20 years after his death, his Fairlie locomotives were in service on 52 routes around the world.
In the 46 years from 1885 to 1911, locomotives were manufactured according to the Fairlies principle by ten different British companies and three companies outside Great Britain and in addition to England , Ireland and Wales also in Canada , Mexico , South America , India , Australia , New Zealand , in various countries in Europe and used in Russia . In Russia, the outstanding performance of Fairlies locomotives on the St. Petersburg - Moscow route prompted then Tsar Alexander II to have a commemorative gold coin minted in recognition of Fairlie's invention.
Works
- Opinions Of The Press On The Fairlie Engine: Being A Series Of Articles Reprinted From The Leading Scientific And Other Journals . C. Whiting , London 1868 (English, digitized - reprinted by Nabu Press, 2010, ISBN 1144509785 ).
- Observations On The Construction Of Railway Carriages: Together With A Paper On Railways And Their Management . C Whiting , London 1868 (English, digitized - reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, 2010, ISBN 1162106964 ).
- Battle of the Gauges Renewed . E. Wilson , London 1872 (English, reprinted by General Books LLC, 2010, ISBN 0217864287 ).
- Railways or No Railways . E. Wilson , London 1872 (English, digitized - reprinted by Railhead Pubns, (June 1984) - ISBN 0912113073 ).
- Railways Or No Railways: Narrow Gauge, Economy With Efficiency. V. Broad Gauge, Costliness With Extravagance . E. Wilson , London 1872 (English, reprinted from Nabu Press, 2010, ISBN 1142729737 ).
literature
- Thomas Humphry Ward : Men of The Reign - A Biographical Dictionary . Rutledge , London 1885 (English).
- Chris Jones, Peter Dennis: Little Giants - A history of the Ffestiniog Railway's pre-revival locomotives, their mentors, manufacture and maintenance . Lightmoor Press, Lydney, Gloucestershire 2018, ISBN 978-1-911038-43-6 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Frederic Boase : Modern English Biography . Netherton and Worth , Truro 1892, ISBN 1-85506-863-X (English, facsimile reprint).
- ^ One of the World's Great Railway Journeys . (PDF 293 kB) Translink , accessed on February 1, 2016 (English, flyer ).
- ↑ a b Bob Flanagan : Robert Francis Fairlie . Friends of West Norwood Cemetery , May 2001, archived from the original on February 16, 2012 ; accessed on February 1, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ^ Law Intelligence Yesterday - Sheriffs' Court . In: The Morning Chronicle . Issue 29529. London August 30, 1861 (English).
- ^ A b Robert Francis Fairlie, George England & Spooner family . Steam Index: locomotive history , accessed February 6, 2011 (English).
- ↑ Robert Francis Fairlie . Old Bailey Proceedings Online , accessed February 6, 2011 .
- ^ Daily and periodical press . In: The Newcastle Courant . Issue 9773. Newcastle upon Tyne April 18, 1862 (English).
- ^ A b Thomas Humphry Ward : Men of The Reign - A Biographical Dictionary . Rutledge , London 1885 (English).
- ^ Rosemary Goring : Chambers Scottish Biographical Dictionary . Chambers , Edinburgh 1992 (English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fairlie, Robert Francis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British engineer and inventor in railway construction |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 1831 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Scotland |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 31, 1885 |
| Place of death | London |