november december english civil engineering contractor manufacturer building materials responsible building world railways 19th century built railways britain time death built miles railway world included quarters lines france major lines european countries canada australia south_america india built structures associated railways including docks bridges stations tunnels drainage works railway engineering active development mines locomotive factories marine water supply sewage systems built london system operation today major ship large time lay telegraph cable north_atlantic background family traced norman ancestor town crossed england william initially home near lived nearly years time certainly family moved small settlement parish miles south eldest son prosperous farmer wife elizabeth early years educated home age sent chester aged apprentice land surveyor agent agent time apprentice helped survey new road assisting surveyor road engaged work met engineer road ended age taken partnership forming firm moved business established time small place consisted houses business flourished grew extending areas land surveying site lime built business owned managed sand stone ventures firm supplied bricks building custom house port developing town bricks needed growing city liverpool supplied devised new methods transporting materials including system similar modern method gravity train materials quarry port died sole manager company sole agent representative years gained basic experience future career early contracts britain experiences civil engineering construction miles building bridge time met needed stone build liverpool manchester railway visited quarry village near following advised involved building railways venture railways submit tender building lost contract submitted lower bid submitted tender building south railway miles track tender accepted work successfully completed opened initially engineer line replaced pupil assistant time moved stands carries trains completion grand junction railway moved design london southampton railway encouraged submit tender accepted undertook work section railway winchester parts line following year won contracts build chester engineer engineer glasgow sheffield manchester railway early contracts france following success early railways britain french encouraged develop railway network place link railway system britain end paris established appointed engineer considered submitted french contractors expensive suggested british contractors invited tender event british contractors took offer seriously instead trying jointly tender accepted set pattern worked partnership contractors ventures won contracts build french railways total mileage miles longest mile following french revolution financial crisis country investment railways ceased meant seek foreign contracts collapse january building mile long line major structural disasters career occurred collapse built brick cost feet high reason collapse established possible cause nature lime mortar contract stipulated obtained locally collapse occurred days heavy rain rebuilt expense time lime choice rebuilt stands use today railway time building early french railways britain experiencing known railway massive investment railways large numbers lines built built high standards involved expansion careful choose contracts investors maintain standards year agreed contracts england scotland wales mileage totalling miles began building lancaster miles considered greatest lines passed fell summit feet high line steep maximum south line linked way preston lancaster line important contracts undertaken miles chester line miles line joined london birmingham railway rugby grand junction railway south providing line london scotland bypassed birmingham line provided link london ferries sailing ireland included tubular bridge received contracts linked railway glasgow edinburgh covering total distance miles passing engineer project year began contracts railways scotland started building parts lancashire hull liverpool contract great northern railway agreed engineer chief work william son joseph resident engineer sole contractor line miles particular problem met country providing firm foundation railway associated structures assisted solving problem agents platforms layers wood sank dispersed water firm foundation line use forms began build time railway coming end contracts britain increasingly difficult find end railway built railways britain expansion europe following end railway drying contracts france retired rich man instead decided expand interests initially european countries venture spain barcelona miles undertook contract short railway miles railway lead bigger contracts italy line miles followed miles norway sir built oslo bergen railway miles passes terrain rises nearly feet resumed work france miles miles dutch relatively slow start building railways engineer built dutch railway miles continued build lines england including railway miles ross miles london miles miles took largest contract career build grand trunk railway canada line passed quebec valley saint lawrence river north toronto line totalled miles length consulting engineer project company engineer undertaking worked partnership sir line crossed river montreal tubular bridge designed longest bridge world time measuring miles bridge opened formal opening ceremony carried following year construction line caused considerable problems main problem raising necessary finance stage travelled canada appeal personally assistance difficulties arose severity canadian winter waterways frozen months year resistance canadian businessmen line engineering success financial failure contractors losing million contract included materials required building bridge railway including rolling stock manufacture metallic components built new factory called suitable site found george_harrison brother law factory built alongside ocean going ships works managed george_harrison alexander assistants machine shop feet length included shop steam shop pattern shops stocked library reading room workforce fitting shop designed manufacture locomotives year total produced years locomotive given trial named wife governor general canada time earl bridge hundreds thousands components required manufactured english factories specifications stamped coded loaded ships taken quebec rail site bridge assembly central tube bridge contained pieces iron holes half million assembled piece hole true played helping english forces success war black_sea port held russians british government alliance french turks sent army port neighbouring bay black_sea attack besieged september british allied forces hoped siege short coming winter conditions proving difficult transport clothing food medical supplies weaponry news problem arrived britain joined offering build railway cost transport necessary supplies shipped equipment materials building railway intended army carry work seven weeks severe winter conditions railway troops besieging completed possible supplies easily finally taken september worldwide expansion addition building railways britain european countries undertook contracts continents south_america railways totalled miles australia miles india miles great economic slump caused collapse bank company colleagues competitors despite setbacks survived crisis drove ahead projects hand included austria continued constructed despite taking place locality health beginning decline continued negotiate contracts including suffered mild stroke continued work april embarked extensive tour miles eastern_europe time death built mile miles railway world non railway contracts works limited railways associated structures addition factories built engineering works france supply materials contracts built number drainage systems calcutta built docks london london docks water area acres contract agreed partnership docks opened included contract warehouses wine totalling area acres machinery worked hydraulic power supplied dock links london entire british rail system built london system stretch miles started passed road river earliest ventures use steam cranes undertaking considered difficult sewer operation today worked build north bank river_thames bridge gave financial help build ship later called great eastern times larger vessel world major ship death barber bought ship purpose laying telegraph cable north_atlantic ideas ahead time tried interest governments idea tunnel english channel came wanted build canal panama idea similarly success working methods contracts worked partnership contractors particular planning details projects engineers consulting engineer engineer charge day day activities career worked engineers kingdom day day work overseen agents managed controlled activities actual work labourers days known supervised early days mainly english worked building canals later joined men scotland wales ireland number irish workers particularly increased following potato famine paid wage provided food clothing shelter projects lending library overseas contracts local labour available work supplemented british workers agent site overall responsibility project man great capability working fee plus percentage profits penalties late finishing complete work early considerable skill choosing good men work way work having taken contract agreed price suitable sum money available agent meet costs agent able work lower cost remainder money problems arose reasonable cover additional costs hundreds agents peak career years employing average people countries continents despite office office staff dealing correspondence detail works held memory travelled personal later letters written recorded occasion rest party gone bed letters written overnight won large number contracts bids successful calculated contract awarded unsuccessful given number honours celebrate achievements including austrian time awarded married second daughter shipping agent come contact early days maria gave thomas considerable support encouragement career encouraged bid contract unsuccessful apply available contract thomas work led frequent moves home early years kingston thames winchester occasion maria supervised packing possessions removal harrison children taught speak french thomas unable opportunity arose apply french contracts maria willing act interpreter encouraged thomas bid resulted moves normandy paris thomas refused learn french maria acted interpreter french maria organised education sons time family established permanent base square london sons gained distinction right 1st governor victoria created liberal hastings son 1st baron conservative politician elevated house_of_lords conservative fourth son died infancy later years told cancer continued visit working sites visits railway miles railway contract late summer took bed home sea visited members work force engineers agents walked days come pay respects business friend bought estate preston hall kent behalf second son henry purchased baroque house situated estate acres km2 miles northeast oxford wedding present son albert december died brain victoria hotel buried churchyard sussex memorial stone erected estate valued consisted trust fund describes wealthiest self man easy objective nature character earliest biography helps commissioned family latest short biography written great great grandson virtually remaining material value biographer available today private correspondence diaries personal judging achievements remarkable man enormous drive ability remain calm despite enormous pressures extreme skill organisation man honour kept word promise interest public honours refused stand parliament accepted honours france austria medals request wife great great grandson considers successful inspired people drove walker biography tried accurate assessment helps sources found difficult discover bad word life expected high standard work employees states standards quality extreme doubt qualities exceptionally excellent memory ability perform mental good judge men enabled select best people agents fair kind supporting financially times need times undertake contracts little benefit provide work faults eldest son identify tendency praise traits actions people condemn family inability refuse request criticism found engineers worked business associates agents paid men fairly national biography states greatest achievement raise status civil engineering contractor attained mid nineteenth century engineer walker regards giants nineteenth century sons involved father work business wound administrators sons created memorial parents chapel chester cathedral consists altar inscribed parents memory bust father north altar memorial sir bust bust thomas plaques memory chester station streets named street november celebrated birth special commemorative train run january children celebrated life april plaque placed bridge village near tree called oak land owned family planted celebrate thomas 40th birthday surrounded inscribed sandstone pillars tied iron rails growth tree burst stones fell recovered replaced accessible place information board
Thomas Brassey