november english civil engineer 19th century particularly associated railway engineering projects involved engineering enterprises engineer midland railway london extension designed company london terminus completed following bridge disaster sat commission investigated causes designed replacement inventor design rail carrying investigations use design steel structures early life education born kent south east london son mathematician physicist professor taught younger brother private education began study civil engineering father age sixteen year went machinery department royal_navy close family home worked london docks married date unknown couple sons daughters son civil engineer practice father career spent years working engineer constantinople turkey helping build ordnance factory behalf machine tool manufacturers produced report turkish government led scientific papers services turkish government awarded returned britain post assistant engineer manchester birmingham railway working joined resident engineer section rugby derby midland railway retained position later chief engineer larger railway april elected member june elected fellow whilst working midland railway main line established replacement larger cost track maintenance replacement rails decayed quickly rails wore needed renewal remove cost providing replacing developed patented rail design wide profile laid directly track ballast need periodic tie bars maintain correct gauge known rail widely especially designer cast iron glass crystal palace great exhibition director asked help preparation structural calculations frame building left midland railway form consultant engineering practice london midland railway significant client following death commissioned complete bristol construction stalled insufficient funds finish chains earlier london demolished completed bridge robust deck planned variations caused reuse existing chains foot span longest britain time consultant engineer midland railway southern extension london including layout london terminus station road deal sloping site need cross regent canal short distance north platforms constructed raised structure supported cast iron columns storage laid beer assistance designed arched cast iron station canopy spans feet platforms intermediate support widest kind world designed cost effective efficient means avoiding need additional solid structure lower level designed hotel train shed december central section bridge near collapsed bridge disaster express train crossed heavy storm passengers crew train killed newly elected president appointed member disaster sat final reports recommending commission established examine wind loads bridges report dated june concluded bridge designed sir opened year collapse badly designed badly built badly maintained entire central box section bridge known high collapsed thirteen supporting leaving gap nearly half mile mile long bridge reputation destroyed died october work suspension bridge designed cross stopped bridge collapse sir consultant engineers railway companies involved construction asked choose replacement design solution sir sat member established recommendation bridge report led design replacement son engineer new design large piers support double railway track old brick masonry piers bridge retained new piers upstream seen today reminder tragedy early civil engineering uses steel carrying research 1850s member committee subject member committee produced recommendations safe working loads steel railway structures experimented sound recording february presented talk action accompanies exhibited called recording instrument fellow member served vice president honorary member lieutenant colonel health failing retired practice son died november exhaustion breaking leg buried plot adjacent father grave home high road marked blue plaque
William Henry Barlow