William Wilson (1809 – 1862) was an English mechanical engineer and first engine driver on the first German railway.

Life

William Wilson was born on 18 May 1809 in

Walbottle Walbottle is a village in Tyne and Wear. It is a western suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne. The village name, recorded in 1176 as "Walbotl", is derived from the Old English ''botl'' (building) on Hadrian's Wall. There are a number of Northumbrian vil ...

, Northumberland, England, and in 1829 was engaged by George Stephenson as a mechanic. The first railway line in Germany was opened on 7 December 1835 between Nuremberg and Fürth. Its first

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

was supplied by Stephenson, because at that time there were no suitable and affordable steam engines available in Germany. At the request of the Ludwig Railway Company (''Ludwigs-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft''), Stephenson also provided Wilson to act as engine driver and engineer. He was to instruct the locomotive crew and train successors, for which he was given an eight-month contract. Stephenson stipulated a maximum working period of 12 hours per day and Wilson's travel costs were borne by the Ludwig Railway Company. In addition, he took on the fitting out, and later the direction, of a railway workshop. He was given a high salary commensurate with his qualification that exceeded the income of the general manager (''Generaldirektor'') of the railway company. His pay was initially 1,500

gulden ''Gulden'' is the historical German and Dutch term for gold coin (from Middle High German "golden penny" and Middle Dutch " golden florin"), equivalent to the English term guilder. Gulden, Gülden, Guldens or Gulden's may also refer to: Coins o ...

per annum; in addition he received a bonus of 240 gulden. On 7 December 1835 William Wilson finally drove the locomotive,

Adler Adler may refer to: Places *Adler, Alabama, an unincorporated community in Perry County *Adler Planetarium, Chicago, Illinois, USA *Adler Township, Nelson County, North Dakota, USA *Adler University, formerly Adler School of Professional Psycholo ...

, as the engine driver, on the first German railway on the newly built line operated by the Ludwig Railway. After eight months he made no arrangements to leave. Both as a result of his safe performance during this journey as well as his excellent credentials, his contract was repeatedly extended. The passengers wanted to travel with no one else but the "tall Englishman". Whenever he was not driving the

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

himself, income fell. From 1842 he alternated as engine driver with his assistant, Bockmüller. His health was seriously damaged by his occupation, however, because he would stand on the driver's platform in all weathers in a gentleman's

overcoat An overcoat is a type of long coat (clothing), coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment, which usually extends below the knee. Overcoats are most commonly used in winter when warmth is more important. They are sometimes confused with ...

and top hat, but without any protection from the elements. Not until the winter of 1845/46 were engine drivers given leather coats as protection against the weather. Finally, eight years later, the engines were furnished with protective roofs over the driver's stand. In spite of tempting offers by the

Bavarian State Railway The Royal Bavarian State Railways (''Königliche Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen'' or ''K.Bay.Sts.B.'') was the state railway company for the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded in 1844. The organisation grew into the second largest of the Germa ...

, Wilson remained with the Ludwig Railway. In 1859, he was unable to work regularly as a result of his worsening health.Mück, Wolfgang: ''Deutschlands erste Eisenbahn mit Dampfkraft. Die kgl. priv. Ludwigseisenbahn zwischen Nürnberg und Fürth''. ( Dissertation an der Universität Würzburg). Fürth 1985 (2nd fully revised ed.), pp. 156-157 At the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Ludwig Railway he was greatly honoured. He died on 17 April 1862 in Nuremberg as a result of his illness. He was buried at St. John's Cemetery in Nuremberg, his funeral being attended by a large section of the population. His grave is still visible today.

References

Literature

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, William English railway mechanical engineers British train drivers British railway pioneers English inventors 1809 births 1862 deaths British emigrants to Germany 19th-century British businesspeople