John Braithwaite

Resource Type: Image | Posted on 24th October 2011 by Liam Physick

One of the images donated to Metal by Eric Shenton. This one shows John Braithwaite the Younger, co-designer, with John Ericsson, of the Novelty. Born in 1797, he joined his father’s engineering practice, and added the making of high-pressure steam engines to the company’s business. In 1827, he met George and Robert Stephenson, and about the same time struck up a partnership with John Ericsson: the pair of them designed not just the Novelty but also the steam fire engine, which proved so successful that it aroused jealousy from the existing fire brigade, and was destroyed by a London mob. Later, he was engineer-in-chief for the Eastern Counties Railway, built in 1836. While there, he introduced the excavating machine and steam locomotive pile-driving machine, both American inventions, to the Railway’s works. He was involved also in surveying railway lines in France, as well as surveying Langstone Harbour in 1850, and building the Brentford Brewery in 1851. He died in 1870

Tagged under: steam locomotives, eric shenton, rainhill trials, george stephenson, novelty, robert stephenson, john braithwaite, john ericsson

Categorised under: The Station & Railway Pioneers