Magnus Volk FII (1851–1937) was a British inventor and pioneering

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. He is most notable for having built

Volk's Electric Railway Volk's Electric Railway (VER) is a narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge heritage railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton. It was built by Magnus Volk, the first section being completed in August ...

, the world's oldest operating

electric railway A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), ele ...

Career

Aside from the Volk's Electric Railway, he also built the unique, but short lived,

Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway The Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was a unique coastline railway in Brighton, England, that ran through the shallow coastal waters of the English Channel between 1896 and 1901. It was designed by Magnus Volk to extend ...

, together with its unusual ''Daddy Long Legs'' vehicle. He also built another, short-lived line, similar to the VER, in the pleasure grounds at

Aston Hall Aston Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean house in Aston, Birmingham, England, designed by John Thorpe and built between 1618 and 1635. It is a leading example of the Jacobean prodigy house. In 1864, the house was bought by Birmingham Corpo ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. In 1887 he attracted attention in Brighton by building a three-wheeled electric carriage powered by an

Immisch Moritz Immisch (12 March 1838 – 20 September 1903) was an Electrical engineer, watchmaker and inventor. He was born on 12 March 1838 in Niederschmon, near Querfurt in Germany and died 20 September 1903 in London. Always known as 'Moritz Imm ...

motor. In 1888 he built another

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...

, this time a four-wheeled carriage which was made to the order of the

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Georgano, G.N. George Nicolas "Nick" Georgano (29 February 1932 – 22 October 2017Nick Georgano
Alvis Archive Bl ...

''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985). for which he was awarded an Order of Osmali, presented to Magnus by the Sultan in person whilst in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

.Volk, Conrad. ''Magnus Volk of Brighton''. (London: Phillimore, 1971). Magnus Volk on his electric dog cart, 1897

Other projects of Magnus included inventing a fire-alarm system, early successful attempts at electricity in the home, telecommunications and installing electricity to the

Royal Pavilion The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George IV of t ...

for the first time. VolkDaddyLongLegsModel

Personal life

Magnus Volk was the son of a German clockmaker and was born on 19 October 1851 in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He lived at 38 Dyke Road in Brighton. On 8 April 1879, he married Anna Banfield in

Burgess Hill Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...

. George Herbert Volk, his second son, is noted as a pioneer builder of

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

s, whilst another son, Conrad Volk, wrote a biography of his father. His Great Grandson is the musician

Joe Volk Joe Volk is an English musician and songwriter from Bristol now based in Bern, Switzerland. He was lyricist and singer with the bands Gonga and Crippled Black Phoenix, and is a solo recording artist. Solo As a solo artist, Volk was first si ...

. Magnus Volk died in Brighton on 20 May 1937, and is buried at St Wulfran's churchyard in

Ovingdean Ovingdean is a small, formerly agricultural, village in the east of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. Overview It was absorbed into the administrative borough of Brighton, East Sussex, England in 1928, and now forms part of the city of ...

near Brighton.

References

Bibliography

* Conrad Volk: ''Magnus Volk of Brighton''. London & Chichester: Phillimore, 1971.

External links

Magnus Volk
in ''My Brighton and Hove'' site * of 'Daddy Longlegs' seashore electric railway {{DEFAULTSORT:Volk, Magnus 1851 births 1937 deaths British electrical engineers British railway civil engineers British railway pioneers People from Brighton