W. G. Craig
Encyclopedia
William Grindley Craig was chief mechanical engineer
of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
from 1854-1859.
He was present, as an expert witness
, at an enquiry into "The Railway Catastrophe Near Dudley" in 1858 (see external links).
He was succeeded by Charles Sacre
.
William Grindley Craig b.c1818, near Glasgow [possibly Barrhead
]. Died ?
Locomotive superintendent [1] Taff Vale Railway
[1844-1845], [2] Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
[1849-1854] and [3] Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway [1854-1859], and sometime [1844-1849?] in another capacity at the Neath Abbey Ironworks.
His appointment on the TVR was brief, a fate shared by a handful of engineers about this time on that railway.
On the MR&C Craig was responsible for 2 x 0-6-0 [1850], 2 x 0-4-0WT [1850], 1 x 4-4-0 [1850], 6 x 4-4-0T [1853] and 6 x 0-6-0WT [1854], all of which were built by private manufacturers.
Craig's last senior railway appointment, succeeding Richard Peacock
[of Beyer, Peacock and Company
fame], on the MS&LR attracted a salary of £500/annum plus bonus payments based on savings made: He became a cost-saving himself when his contract was not renewed following a reorganisation; he was replaced by Charles Reboul Sacre, late of the Great Northern Railway
, but was retained as a consultant. The locomotives Craig added to MS&LR stock comprised 2 x 0-6-0 [1854], 1 x 2-2-2WT [1856], and 3 x 0-6-0 [1858-59]; at least one of the company's ships was also designed by him.
In 1861 Craig was living in north London, employed as a civil consulting engineer and by ten years later was still there but had added iron merchant to his occupations. By 1881 he had moved to Wiltshire, where his wife Eliza Ellen [whom he had married in 1848] died in 1882.
Craig had at least four children, two girls born in Newport, Monmouthshire, and a boy and girl born during his time at Gorton, Manchester. Trace of W.G.Craig disappears after 1882.
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent are titles applied by British, Australian, and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock...
of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
from 1854-1859.
He was present, as an expert witness
Expert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
, at an enquiry into "The Railway Catastrophe Near Dudley" in 1858 (see external links).
He was succeeded by Charles Sacre
Charles Sacre
Charles Reboul Sacré was an English engineer, Engineer and Superintendent of the Locomotive and Stores Department of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Samuel Waite Johnson was his assistant between 1859 and 1864...
.
See also
- Lists of rail accidents
William Grindley Craig b.c1818, near Glasgow [possibly Barrhead
Barrhead
Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....
]. Died ?
Locomotive superintendent [1] 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...
[1844-1845], [2] Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company built and operated the Newport and Pontypool Railway. It was known as "The Rat and Cat's".- Overview :...
[1849-1854] and [3] Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway [1854-1859], and sometime [1844-1849?] in another capacity at the Neath Abbey Ironworks.
His appointment on the TVR was brief, a fate shared by a handful of engineers about this time on that railway.
On the MR&C Craig was responsible for 2 x 0-6-0 [1850], 2 x 0-4-0WT [1850], 1 x 4-4-0 [1850], 6 x 4-4-0T [1853] and 6 x 0-6-0WT [1854], all of which were built by private manufacturers.
Craig's last senior railway appointment, succeeding Richard Peacock
Richard Peacock
Richard Peacock was an English engineer, one of the founders of locomotive manufacturer Beyer-Peacock.-Early life and education:...
[of Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
fame], on the MS&LR attracted a salary of £500/annum plus bonus payments based on savings made: He became a cost-saving himself when his contract was not renewed following a reorganisation; he was replaced by Charles Reboul Sacre, late of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway may refer to:*Great Northern Railway of Canada*Great Northern Railway *Great Northern Railway *Great Northern Railway , now part of the BNSF Railway system*Great Northern Rail Services in Australia...
, but was retained as a consultant. The locomotives Craig added to MS&LR stock comprised 2 x 0-6-0 [1854], 1 x 2-2-2WT [1856], and 3 x 0-6-0 [1858-59]; at least one of the company's ships was also designed by him.
In 1861 Craig was living in north London, employed as a civil consulting engineer and by ten years later was still there but had added iron merchant to his occupations. By 1881 he had moved to Wiltshire, where his wife Eliza Ellen [whom he had married in 1848] died in 1882.
Craig had at least four children, two girls born in Newport, Monmouthshire, and a boy and girl born during his time at Gorton, Manchester. Trace of W.G.Craig disappears after 1882.
Sources
- The Locomotives of the GWR, vols. 3 & 10, RCTS
- Great Central, vol.1, G.Dow
- UK Census returns
- Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, summer 1961 edition, page 58