Robert Stephenson

Robert Stephenson is a British civil engineer, member of Royal Society (October 16th 1803, October 12th 1859). Only sons of George Stephenson, the famous creator of the railroads and the engines, he collaborated in many achievements often allotted to his father alone.

beginnings of the railroad

After studies in Bruce Academy of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a training at Nicolas Wood, director of Killingworth Colliery, and a moment spent to the University of Edinburgh, Robert came to work with his father with his construction projects of railroads, to start with the line of Stockton with Darlington. In 1823, Robert founded a company in partnership with his/her father and Edward Pease (1767-1858) for the construction of engines: the company " Robert Stephenson and Company" a big part of the engines of the whole world built and survived until the middle of the XXe century. The original factory always exists, Forth Street in Newcastle: it is the " today; Robert Stephenson Center".

Robert could benefit from the famous contest of Rainhill, where the engine " Rocket" of Stephenson showed his qualities and overrode all the others. Following this success, the company continued the constuction of the engines for Liverpool and Manchester Railway and other lines, of which Leicester and Swannington Railway.

In 1833, Robert was high at the post of head engineer with the company of London and Birmingham Railway, the first principal line to penetrate in London, constituting the initial section of West Coast Main Line. He is the creator of the first line Brussels-Malignant, inaugurated on May 6th, 1835. The line posed a certain number of challenges of civil engineering, like the tunnel of Kilsby, and was completed in 1838. Stephenson was directly responsible for work of the tunnel of Primrose Hill, which was bored by the technique of the mine shafts.

The first engines could not climb the coast of Euston Station in Chalk Farm, which led Stephenson to imagine a system of traction by chains driven by a steam engine fixes (" The Roundhouse" , the Rotunda). This impressive construction remains nowadays: it became a house of Arts.

Famous bridges

It built a quantity of famous bridges:

  • the part out of wrought iron of the Bridge Britannia, on the strait of Carried out

  • the " Conwy railway bridge " between Llandudno Junction and Conwy, Wales

  • the viaduct of Arnside, in Cumbrie

  • the " Royal To border Bridge" with Berwick-upon-Tweed

  • the " Sutton Bridge" (1850), bridge rail-road on the river Tit, in Lincolnshire

  • the bridge Victoria (1854-59), above the St-Laurent river, in Montreal, Canada

One of the rare errors of Robert Stephenson was the design of the bridge on the Dee, with Chester, which crumbled under a train in 1847.

Career and honors

He was appointed preserving at the Parliament of 1847 until his death and chair Institute of civil engineering in 1855. He is buried with the Abbaye of Westminster.

Although officially rivals, Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel bound friendship, bringing mutual assistance on many occasions and on multiple projects.

The " Stephenson Railway Museum" , in North Shields, its name must in George and Robert Stephenson.

Bonds

  • Robert Stephenson, on Structurae

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