John Dickson (railway contractor)
Encyclopedia
John Dickson was a railway contractor responsible for the promotion, construction and operation of several railway lines in England and Wales, especially in and around Swansea. His finances were never securely based and he was forced into bankruptcy on three occasions.
. His first daughter Catherine was born the following year at Killyman in County Tyrone
. He remained in Ireland until 1847, and judging by the places of birth of subsequent children he was on the move all the time – Helen was born in County Sligo (1842), James in Dublin (1844) and Anna in Drogheda (1845). He appears to have been involved in some capacity under William Dargan
on the construction of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway
(1841-4) and the Great Southern and Western Railway
(1845-7). There is also a possibility that he worked under Dargan on the Ulster Canal
.
In 1847 Dickson left Ireland and returned to England where, for reasons that are now unclear, he established himself at Wellington, Shropshire
. During his ten years here he worked on two local railway contracts, the Shrewsbury-Wellington-Oakengates section of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
(1847-9) and the Ketley-Horsehay section of the Wellington and Severn Junction Railway
(1855-7). He never completed the latter, for in January 1857 he was made a bankrupt for the first time. He tendered unsuccessfully in 1855 for the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway
. He also operated a rolling stock business at this period and is known to have tendered for the supply of ballast wagons and wheels to the South Wales Railway
in 1855 and to have supplied carriages to the Llanelly Railway in 1856 and also wagons and brake vans to the Belfast and County Down Railway
at much the same time.
In 1854 Dickson, in partnership with J.G. McKenzie, won his first contract in south Wales, an area that was to become his home for most of the rest of his life. This was for the Gyfylchi tunnel on the South Wales Mineral Railway. The financial position of the railway company prevented an immediate start being made until 1856 when he was additionally offered a contract to construct the entire line. He started work in April 1856 but made little progress and in September 1856 Brunel
, the engineer of the SWMR, was instructed to pay off Dickson and re-let the contract.
In July 1855 Dickson won a contract from the Swansea Harbour Trust
for various work connected with the town's North Dock. This was followed by a number of further contracts in 1855-6 for related work. Most of the work was still uncompleted when he was declared bankrupt on 20 January 1857. He was described as 'Builder, Stone and Timber merchant, Brickmaker and Contractor for Public Works'.
Dickson was discharged on 3 June 1857 and settled near Neath
, presumably hoping to build on the contacts he had made in the area since 1853. During the years 1859-61 he claimed to have been involved in some way with the promotion of the Swansea and Neath Railway (the extension into Swansea of the Vale of Neath Railway
), although it is not possible to establish the exact role that he played in this.
In 1861, having assembled a group of financial backers, Dickson promoted the Dulais Valley Mineral Railway, a scheme to build a short line from the Vale of Neath Railway
at Neath up the Dulais Valley
to Banwen
with a view to opening up the coal reserves of the valley. It was authorised in 1862. The following year Parliament approved the extension of the railway to Brecon
and the change of its name to the Neath and Brecon Railway
. Where it crossed the Great Forest of Brecon
the route of the extension followed the now disused Brecon Forest Tramroad
which Dickson purchased in 1863. He saw the railway as potentially forming part of a link from the Midlands and north of England to south Wales and he probably had hopes of selling it on completion to one of the major English companies. Also in 1863, in partnership with one Russell, Dickson won a contract to construct the Anglesey Central Railway
. As was typical of contractors' lines at this period, Dickson & Russell were willing to accept payment in shares.
The construction and operation of these two lines were to occupy him until his second bankruptcy in 1867 but at the same time as he was working on their construction he was also preparing plans and for far-reaching extensions to the Neath and Brecon Railway. These included extensions from Sennybridge
to the Central Wales Line at Llangammarch Wells
and a short line to connect the N&BR to the Swansea Vale Railway
near Ystalyferawhich was later to be constructed (although not by Dickson) as the Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junction Railway. Both of these projects were authorised by Parliament in 1864, but a grandiose plan to extend the N&BR into Swansea
and build a central station in the town was rejected in the same session.
In 1863 Dickson started to build St Andrew's Presbyterian church in Swansea for the benefit of the Scottish community in the town. It was completed in 1864 and opened on 12 August.
A renewed attempt to extend the N&BR to Swansea was made in 1864, this time by purchasing the Swansea Canal
and building the railway on its banks, but this too failed. Also in 1864 Dickson and others formulated plans to purchase the Oystermouth Railway at Swansea and build a main-line railway alongside it to a deep-water harbour at Mumbles
. In pursuit of this goal he acquired the foreshore rights all round Swansea Bay from the Duke of Beaufort
in June 1864 and in October reached an agreement with George Byng Morris, the mortgagee in possession, to purchase the Oystermouth Railway. However, his Mumbles Railway & Pier Bill of 1865 failed to win the approval of Parliament.
Further schemes with which Dickson was connected at this period were the Afon Valley Railway of 1865 running up the Afan valley
from Port Talbot
and the Aberdare & Central Wales Railway of 1866 which was intended to link the N&BR to the Taff Vale Railway
at Aberdare
and so make the N&BR part of a through route from the north of England to Cardiff as well as to Swansea. Both schemes were successful in obtaining Acts of Parliament but no work was carried out on either. Further attempts to obtain authorisation for a railway to Mumbles and a deep-water harbour and for a central station in Swansea were once again unsuccessful.
The Anglesey Central Railway was opened in stages between 1864 and 1867. The Neath and Brecon Railway was completed in 1866 and the formal opening took place on 13 September 1866 although regular passenger traffic did not commence until 3 June 1867. Dickson worked the traffic on both lines. A feature of particular interest was his use of the first Fairlie
locomotives, Progress and Mountaineer, on the N&BR and of Mountaineer on the ACR. He also made a start on the construction of the line from Sennybridge
to Llangammarch Wells
but this section was only partly finished when he was made bankrupt for a second time on 9 September 1867 and was never completed. His finances had become overstretched and he was a belated victim of the collapse of the bank of Overend and Gurney
in May 1866 which had resulted in the failure of a number of other railway contractors.
. The reason for this is not clear.
In 1866 Parliament authorised the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway
. No attempt was made to start construction until 1871 when a contract was let to Dickson. He started work in May 1871 but his lack of progress gave rise to concern and in December 1873 he was dismissed from the contract. A report then made by T.E. Harrison, the Engineer of the North Eastern Railway
details bridges and viaducts that were badly designed and badly built, inaccurate surveying, poor workmanship, and bad design in general. One three-mile section had been built along the side of the cliffs and had already started to fall into the sea. The viaducts were built to Dickson's own design with tubular wrought-iron piers filled with concrete.
At the same time Dickson was also working on a contract from the Mersey Railway
. This company had been incorporated in 1871 with powers to build a railway under the river between Liverpool
and Birkenhead
. Dickson was awarded a contract to sink shafts to the depth at which the boring of the actual tunnel could be undertaken by the Diamond Boring Machine Co. He started work in April 1872 by sinking a shaft on the Birkenhead side and by March 1873 this shaft had been sunk to full tunnel depth. In November 1873 the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board
accepted a tender from Dickson for the enlargement and alteration of the Canada basin and other related works but it is doubtful if any significant progress was made.
It is clear that Dickson was attempting to undertake contracts that were out of proportion to the financial resources that he could command. He was under-capitalised and suffered from cash-flow problems. Not surprisingly, he was declared bankrupt for a third time on 3 December 1874.
. In that year the newly formed Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company
reached an agreement with George Byng Morris, still mortgagee in possession, to take over the working of the Oystermouth Railway with a view to integrating it with the street tramways that they were constructing. Dickson (through his trustee in bankruptcy) challenged this in the courts, since he still claimed the right to complete the agreement he had made with Morris in 1865. The courts upheld his claim and the railway was put up for sale that autumn. It was bought by Dickson's associates on his behalf
Dickson, by now discharged from bankruptcy, started to run a steam-hauled service along the line in 1878 and in 1879 formed the Swansea and Mumbles Railway to buy the Oystermouth Railway from him. However, under the terms of their agreement with Morris, the SITC also had the right to operate over the line and for the next ten or more years there was fierce and often acrimonious competition.
Dickson's involvement with the Swansea and Mumbles Railway ceased in 1885 when Sir John Jones Jenkins
took a lease of the railway. He suffered what appears to have been a stroke in about 1890 and died on 13 June 1892. He was buried in his family vault in the churchyard at Wellington
.
Early days (to 1857)
Dickson was born in Berwick-on-Tweed in about 1819. He first appears in the historical record in Ireland in 1840 when he married Elizabeth McMurray of DroghedaDrogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
. His first daughter Catherine was born the following year at Killyman in County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. He remained in Ireland until 1847, and judging by the places of birth of subsequent children he was on the move all the time – Helen was born in County Sligo (1842), James in Dublin (1844) and Anna in Drogheda (1845). He appears to have been involved in some capacity under William Dargan
William Dargan
William Dargan , an engineer, often seen as the father of Irish railways, came from Killeshin, County Laois, Ireland. Born in 1799, he constructed Ireland's first railway from Dublin to Dún Laoghaire in 1833. He constructed over of railway to important urban centres of Ireland...
on the construction of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Dublin and Drogheda Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The D&D constructed the railway line between Dublin and Drogheda. The company presented the scheme to parliament in 1836 and received royal assent on 13 August 1836. John MacNeill was appointed as the line's engineer in...
(1841-4) and the Great Southern and Western Railway
Great Southern and Western Railway
The Great Southern and Western Railway was the largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
(1845-7). There is also a possibility that he worked under Dargan on the Ulster Canal
Ulster Canal
The Ulster Canal is a disused canal running through part of County Armagh, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland...
.
In 1847 Dickson left Ireland and returned to England where, for reasons that are now unclear, he established himself at Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
. During his ten years here he worked on two local railway contracts, the Shrewsbury-Wellington-Oakengates section of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway opened on 12 November 1849. It merged with the Great Western Railway on 1 September 1854.The company formed originally as the Shrewsbury & Wolverhampton, Dudley & Birmingham Railway in 1844, it became Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railway in 1847.When the section...
(1847-9) and the Ketley-Horsehay section of the Wellington and Severn Junction Railway
Wellington and Severn Junction railway
The Wellington and Severn Junction railway was a railway in Shropshire, England. It was built between 1857 - 1861 and formed part of the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway. For much of its working life it was operated by the Great Western Railway and subsequently the Western Region of British Railways...
(1855-7). He never completed the latter, for in January 1857 he was made a bankrupt for the first time. He tendered unsuccessfully in 1855 for the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway
Llanidloes and Newtown Railway
The Llanidloes and Newtown Railway was an early Welsh railway. It was absorbed by the Cambrian Railway. A section of the line - from Newtown to where the later Cambrian Line diverges to Machynlleth, at the former Moat Lane Junction, remains in use...
. He also operated a rolling stock business at this period and is known to have tendered for the supply of ballast wagons and wheels to the South Wales Railway
South Wales Railway
The South Wales Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales.-History:The need for the railway was created by the need to ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London, and secondly to complete Brunel's vision of linking London with...
in 1855 and to have supplied carriages to the Llanelly Railway in 1856 and also wagons and brake vans to the Belfast and County Down Railway
Belfast and County Down Railway
The Belfast and County Down Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland linking Belfast with County Down. It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948...
at much the same time.
In 1854 Dickson, in partnership with J.G. McKenzie, won his first contract in south Wales, an area that was to become his home for most of the rest of his life. This was for the Gyfylchi tunnel on the South Wales Mineral Railway. The financial position of the railway company prevented an immediate start being made until 1856 when he was additionally offered a contract to construct the entire line. He started work in April 1856 but made little progress and in September 1856 Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
, the engineer of the SWMR, was instructed to pay off Dickson and re-let the contract.
In July 1855 Dickson won a contract from the Swansea Harbour Trust
Swansea docks
Swansea Docks is the collective name for several docks in Swansea, Wales. The Swansea docks are located immediately south east of Swansea city centre. In the mid-19th century the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper from factories situated in the Tawe valley...
for various work connected with the town's North Dock. This was followed by a number of further contracts in 1855-6 for related work. Most of the work was still uncompleted when he was declared bankrupt on 20 January 1857. He was described as 'Builder, Stone and Timber merchant, Brickmaker and Contractor for Public Works'.
Activities around Swansea and Neath (1857-1867)
The period between Dickson's first and second bankruptcies was the most active and successful of his career with the construction of two railways (albeit of modest length) and the promotion of many other schemes which failed to materialise because his vision outstripped his resources. The methods which were adopted by Dickson and his backers in the financing of both these railways were typical of those employed on other 'contractors' lines', a phenomenon that was particularly prevalent at this period.Dickson was discharged on 3 June 1857 and settled near Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
, presumably hoping to build on the contacts he had made in the area since 1853. During the years 1859-61 he claimed to have been involved in some way with the promotion of the Swansea and Neath Railway (the extension into Swansea of the Vale of Neath Railway
Vale of Neath Railway
The Vale of Neath Railway was a broad gauge railway line from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorgan, Wales, and also operated the Swansea and Neath Railway which gave it access to the docks at Swansea...
), although it is not possible to establish the exact role that he played in this.
In 1861, having assembled a group of financial backers, Dickson promoted the Dulais Valley Mineral Railway, a scheme to build a short line from the Vale of Neath Railway
Vale of Neath Railway
The Vale of Neath Railway was a broad gauge railway line from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorgan, Wales, and also operated the Swansea and Neath Railway which gave it access to the docks at Swansea...
at Neath up the Dulais Valley
Dulais Valley
The Dulais Valley, one of the South Wales Valleys is traversed by the River Dulais in southwest Wales north of the town of Neath.Settlements in the valley include Crynant, Seven Sisters, Banwen and Dyffryn Cellwen which are served by the A4109 road though the valley.The towns in the valley...
to Banwen
Banwen
Banwen is a small village in Neath Port Talbot county borough in Wales. Banwen is part of the community of Onllwyn along with the village of Onllwyn itself and the adjacent parish of Dyffryn Cellwen...
with a view to opening up the coal reserves of the valley. It was authorised in 1862. The following year Parliament approved the extension of the railway to Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
and the change of its name to the Neath and Brecon Railway
Neath and Brecon Railway
The Neath and Brecon Railway linked the Vale of Neath Railway at Neath with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Brecon and also via a connection from Colbren Junction, it linked to the Swansea Vale Railway at Ynysygeinon Junction ....
. Where it crossed the Great Forest of Brecon
Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr is the name given to an extensive upland area in the county of Powys, Wales. Formerly known as the 'Great Forest of Brecknock' in English, it was a royal hunting area for several centuries but is now used primarily for sheep grazing, forestry, water catchment and recreation...
the route of the extension followed the now disused Brecon Forest Tramroad
Brecon Forest Tramroad
The Brecon Forest Tramroad is an early nineteenth century tramway, or rather a network of connecting tramways or waggonways, which stretched across the hills of Fforest Fawr in the historic county of Brecknockshire in south Wales, UK...
which Dickson purchased in 1863. He saw the railway as potentially forming part of a link from the Midlands and north of England to south Wales and he probably had hopes of selling it on completion to one of the major English companies. Also in 1863, in partnership with one Russell, Dickson won a contract to construct the Anglesey Central Railway
Anglesey Central Railway
The Anglesey Central Railway was a long standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an independent railway, the railway opened in portions from 1864 to 1867...
. As was typical of contractors' lines at this period, Dickson & Russell were willing to accept payment in shares.
The construction and operation of these two lines were to occupy him until his second bankruptcy in 1867 but at the same time as he was working on their construction he was also preparing plans and for far-reaching extensions to the Neath and Brecon Railway. These included extensions from Sennybridge
Sennybridge
Sennybridge is a village in Powys, Mid Wales, situated some from Cardiff and from Swansea. It lies west of Brecon on the A40 trunk road to Llandovery, at the point where the River Senni flows into the Usk...
to the Central Wales Line at Llangammarch Wells
Llangammarch Wells
Llangammarch Wells is a village in the parish of Llangammarch in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying on the River Irfon....
and a short line to connect the N&BR to the Swansea Vale Railway
Swansea Vale Railway
|-|colspan="2" width="320"|-History:First opened in 1816 as a tramroad for conveying coal from Scott's Pit, near Birchgrove, to wharves on the River Tawe nearly four miles to the south, the Swansea Vale route grew to become a feeder railway for several mines and metal-working industries in the...
near Ystalyferawhich was later to be constructed (although not by Dickson) as the Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junction Railway. Both of these projects were authorised by Parliament in 1864, but a grandiose plan to extend the N&BR into Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and build a central station in the town was rejected in the same session.
In 1863 Dickson started to build St Andrew's Presbyterian church in Swansea for the benefit of the Scottish community in the town. It was completed in 1864 and opened on 12 August.
A renewed attempt to extend the N&BR to Swansea was made in 1864, this time by purchasing the Swansea Canal
Swansea Canal
The Swansea Canal was a canal constructed by the Swansea Canal Navigation Company between 1794 and 1798, running for some from Swansea to Hen Neuadd, Abercraf in South Wales. It was steeply graded, and 36 locks were needed to enable it to rise over its length...
and building the railway on its banks, but this too failed. Also in 1864 Dickson and others formulated plans to purchase the Oystermouth Railway at Swansea and build a main-line railway alongside it to a deep-water harbour at Mumbles
Mumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
. In pursuit of this goal he acquired the foreshore rights all round Swansea Bay from the Duke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the...
in June 1864 and in October reached an agreement with George Byng Morris, the mortgagee in possession, to purchase the Oystermouth Railway. However, his Mumbles Railway & Pier Bill of 1865 failed to win the approval of Parliament.
Further schemes with which Dickson was connected at this period were the Afon Valley Railway of 1865 running up the Afan valley
River Afan
The River Afan is a river in southwest Wales whose river valley formed the territory of the medieval Lords of Afan. The town of Aberavon grew up on the banks of the river, and was later subsumed by the larger centre of population known as Port Talbot...
from Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
and the Aberdare & Central Wales Railway of 1866 which was intended to link the N&BR to the Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
at Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
and so make the N&BR part of a through route from the north of England to Cardiff as well as to Swansea. Both schemes were successful in obtaining Acts of Parliament but no work was carried out on either. Further attempts to obtain authorisation for a railway to Mumbles and a deep-water harbour and for a central station in Swansea were once again unsuccessful.
The Anglesey Central Railway was opened in stages between 1864 and 1867. The Neath and Brecon Railway was completed in 1866 and the formal opening took place on 13 September 1866 although regular passenger traffic did not commence until 3 June 1867. Dickson worked the traffic on both lines. A feature of particular interest was his use of the first Fairlie
Fairlie
A Fairlie is a type of articulated steam locomotive that has the driving wheels on bogies. The locomotive may be double-ended or single ended...
locomotives, Progress and Mountaineer, on the N&BR and of Mountaineer on the ACR. He also made a start on the construction of the line from Sennybridge
Sennybridge
Sennybridge is a village in Powys, Mid Wales, situated some from Cardiff and from Swansea. It lies west of Brecon on the A40 trunk road to Llandovery, at the point where the River Senni flows into the Usk...
to Llangammarch Wells
Llangammarch Wells
Llangammarch Wells is a village in the parish of Llangammarch in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying on the River Irfon....
but this section was only partly finished when he was made bankrupt for a second time on 9 September 1867 and was never completed. His finances had become overstretched and he was a belated victim of the collapse of the bank of Overend and Gurney
Overend, Gurney and Company
Overend, Gurney & Company was a London wholesale discount bank, known as "the bankers' bank", which collapsed in 1866 owing about 11 million pounds, equivalent to £981 million at 2008 prices.-Early years:...
in May 1866 which had resulted in the failure of a number of other railway contractors.
Activities in the north of England (1867-1874)
Dickson was discharged on 16 March 1868 following which he moved to LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The reason for this is not clear.
In 1866 Parliament authorised the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway
Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway
The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway was a short lived railway line, running along the northeast coast of England from the River Tees at Middlesbrough to the Esk at Whitby, where it met the Scarborough & Whitby Railway line and the Whitby and Pickering Railway...
. No attempt was made to start construction until 1871 when a contract was let to Dickson. He started work in May 1871 but his lack of progress gave rise to concern and in December 1873 he was dismissed from the contract. A report then made by T.E. Harrison, the Engineer of the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
details bridges and viaducts that were badly designed and badly built, inaccurate surveying, poor workmanship, and bad design in general. One three-mile section had been built along the side of the cliffs and had already started to fall into the sea. The viaducts were built to Dickson's own design with tubular wrought-iron piers filled with concrete.
At the same time Dickson was also working on a contract from the Mersey Railway
Mersey Railway
The Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. Opened in 1886, it was the second oldest urban underground railway network in the world. The railway contained the first tunnel built under the River Mersey. It was constructed by...
. This company had been incorporated in 1871 with powers to build a railway under the river between Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. Dickson was awarded a contract to sink shafts to the depth at which the boring of the actual tunnel could be undertaken by the Diamond Boring Machine Co. He started work in April 1872 by sinking a shaft on the Birkenhead side and by March 1873 this shaft had been sunk to full tunnel depth. In November 1873 the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company , formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board , owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England...
accepted a tender from Dickson for the enlargement and alteration of the Canada basin and other related works but it is doubtful if any significant progress was made.
It is clear that Dickson was attempting to undertake contracts that were out of proportion to the financial resources that he could command. He was under-capitalised and suffered from cash-flow problems. Not surprisingly, he was declared bankrupt for a third time on 3 December 1874.
Return to Swansea (1874-1892)
By 1877 Dickson had returned to Swansea where he lived on the outskirts of OystermouthOystermouth
Oystermouth is an electoral ward and a village in the Mumbles community and also the City and County of Swansea, Wales...
. In that year the newly formed Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company
Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company
The Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company operated street trams in and around Swansea in Wales from 1878 to 1937.-Background:Swansea is Wales's second city and was a leader in the Industrial Revolution owing to the ready availability of local resources of coal and good access via its seaport to...
reached an agreement with George Byng Morris, still mortgagee in possession, to take over the working of the Oystermouth Railway with a view to integrating it with the street tramways that they were constructing. Dickson (through his trustee in bankruptcy) challenged this in the courts, since he still claimed the right to complete the agreement he had made with Morris in 1865. The courts upheld his claim and the railway was put up for sale that autumn. It was bought by Dickson's associates on his behalf
Dickson, by now discharged from bankruptcy, started to run a steam-hauled service along the line in 1878 and in 1879 formed the Swansea and Mumbles Railway to buy the Oystermouth Railway from him. However, under the terms of their agreement with Morris, the SITC also had the right to operate over the line and for the next ten or more years there was fierce and often acrimonious competition.
Dickson's involvement with the Swansea and Mumbles Railway ceased in 1885 when Sir John Jones Jenkins
John Jenkins, 1st Baron Glantawe
John Jones Jenkins, 1st Baron Glantawe was a Welsh tin-plate manufacturer and Liberal politician.-Background:Jenkins was the son of Jenkin Jenkins of Morriston, Glamorgan and his wife Sarah Jones.-Business career:...
took a lease of the railway. He suffered what appears to have been a stroke in about 1890 and died on 13 June 1892. He was buried in his family vault in the churchyard at Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
.