Thomas Elliot Harrison (4 April 1808 – 20 March 1888) was a British engineer. Born in
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, he was raised in the north east of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, where his father was a promoter of early railway companies; after an apprenticeship under
William Chapman; he gained engineering experience on the lines his father had helped establish, as well as in working in association with
George Stephenson
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
and
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS HFRSE FRSA Doctor of Civil Law, DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railway ...
during his early career.
In 1850 he became chief engineer of the
York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway
The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interest ...
, and retained that title during the company's amalgamations with other north eastern railway firms, becoming the
North Eastern Railway's first chief engineer at its formation in 1854, a position he held until his death in 1888.
The best known works he was involved with are bridges: which include the
Skelton viaduct on the Ouse; the
Victoria Viaduct and
Monkwearmouth railway bridge on the Wear; he was also involved in dock and railway line construction, and engineering consultancy. He was a highly respected member of the British engineering community, and was briefly president of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
.
He died in 1888, at home in
Whitburn, South Tyneside
Whitburn is a village in South Tyneside in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear on the coast of North East England. It is located north of the city of Sunderland and south of the town of South Shields. Historically, Whitburn was a part of ...
whilst still working for the North Eastern Railway.
Biography
Thomas Elliot Harrison was born in
North End, Fulham
North End was, until the last quarter of the 19th-century, a scattered hamlet among the fields and market gardens, between Counter's Creek and Walham Green in the Parish of Fulham in the County of Middlesex.
In connection with the development o ...
, London on 4 April 1808, the son of William Harrison. At the time of his birth his father worked at
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
, but he moved during William's childhood to
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the historic county of Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on the River Wear's mouth to the North Sea. The ri ...
, where he began business as a ship builder. Thomas received his formal education at a grammar school in
Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring ( ) is a town in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham, it is now administered as part of the Tyne and Wear county. It is s ...
, County Durham, after which he began an apprenticeship under the civil engineering firm of
William Chapman and
Edward Chapman, Newcastle. Under William Chapman he gained experience in the construction of docks and coal handling equipment.
He completed his apprenticeship in 1829, and travelled to London seeking work. Unsuccessful in obtaining a civil-engineering position, he spent a year working as an accountant's assistant.
In 1830 and 1831 he was employed by
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS HFRSE FRSA Doctor of Civil Law, DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railway ...
to generate plans for a proposed
Wolverton
Wolverton is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, England. It is located at the northern edge of Milton Keynes, beside the West Coast Main Line, the Grand Union Canal and the river Great Ouse. It is the administrative seat of Wolverton and Gre ...
to
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
section of the
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR).
The railway line which the company opened in 1838, betw ...
. In 1831 he was employed as a surveyor of a coal railway from
Stanhope to
Pontop (see
Stanhope and Tyne Railway
The Stanhope and Tyne Railway was an early British mineral railway, that ran from Stanhope in County Durham, to South Shields at the mouth of the River Tyne. The object was to convey limestone from Stanhope and coal from West Consett and elsew ...
), a scheme of which his father was a significant backer. During the line's construction (from 1832) he was acting engineer. In 1834 he was appointed engineer of the
Durham Junction Railway
The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interest ...
, also backed by his father; he was acting engineer for the construction of the
Victoria Viaduct (built 1836–8) on the Durham Junction line. After the amalgamation of these lines, and after the retirement of
George Stephenson
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
Harrison became chief engineer of the resultant
York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway
The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interest ...
in 1850, and briefly became general manager in 1853 for the joint working agreements with the
Leeds Northern Railway
The Leeds Northern Railway (LNR), originally the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, was an English railway company that built and opened a line from Leeds to Stockton via Harrogate and Thirsk. In 1845 the Leeds and Thirsk Railway received permission for ...
prior a merger in 1854, after which he became chief engineer of the resultant
North Eastern Railway (NER). In 1838, two locomotives,
''Thunderer'' and
''Hurricane'', to designs patented by Harrison, were built by
R. & W. Hawthorn & Co. for the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
. They were unsuccessful, and withdrawn from service in 1839.
He remained as chief engineer of the NER for the rest of his life, overseeing its continued growth through mergers and through the construction of new lines. Notable works included the planning or design of: the
Tyne Dock
Tyne Dock is a neighbourhood within the town of South Shields, North East England, on the south bank of the River Tyne. It takes its name from the large dock on the river which was opened in 1859 by the North Eastern Railway (and acquired by th ...
at
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
(1855–1859); the viaducted extension of the
Leeds and Selby Line in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
from
Marsh Lane station to
Holbeck
Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the o ...
(1860s); the
Hull to Doncaster Line
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in a ...
and its giant
Skelton viaduct swing bridge across the River Ouse (1869); and of similar smaller bridges near York (
Naburn swing bridge, 1871) and Selby (
Selby swing bridge, 1891 posthumous);
the North Eastern's new main line station at York,
York railway station
York railway station is on the East Coast Main Line serving the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is north of and on the main line it is situated between to the south and to the north. , the station is operated by London North East ...
(1877);
and the
Monkwearmouth railway bridge, a
bowstring
A bowstring joins the two ends of the bow stave and launches the arrow. Desirable properties include light weight, strength, resistance to abrasion, and resistance to water. Mass has most effect at the center of the string; of extra mass in th ...
,
Vierendeel truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
bridge over the
River Wear
The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through th ...
at
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
on the
Monkwearmouth Junction Line (1879); as well as several other new lines and dock works.
[ Obituary, Min. Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng pp.305–8]
In addition to his work as part of the NER he was seventeenth president of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
from 1873 to 1875, served on the ''Royal Commission for the Water-supply of London'' (1867–69), and was successful and respected as an expert witness and consultant engineer, from his work as a parliamentary witness he earned the nickname 'Honest Tom'.
He was not notable as a mechanical engineer, and only slowly accepted the value of the
block-signalling system recommended by the
railway inspectorate
Established in 1840, His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) is the organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways. It was previously a separate non-departmental public body, but from 1990 to April 2006 it ...
, but was a pioneer in the introduction of the Smith vacuum and Westinghouse air-brake, and introduced equipment to reduce the risk accidents on facing points in 1872.
He lived at
Whitburn, but during his career would spend five months of the year in London; in later years he gave up the profitable London work, but remained in the service of the NER. Whilst still working for the company he was taken ill on 20 March 1888 at his home in Whitburn, and died suddenly.
[ Obituary, Min. Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng pp.311–2
]
He left seven children from two marriages.
Works
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
Literature
*
*
External links
* biography and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Thomas
1808 births
1888 deaths
British railway civil engineers
Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers
North Eastern Railway (UK) people
People from Fulham
Engineers from London