William Robert Galbraith


(W.R. Galbraith)

1829 - 1914

Railway engineer. Born in Stirling, Galbraith worked on railways in Scotland and NW England before joining the London and South Western Railway Company in 1855, soon becoming their Chief Engineer. In London, he was responsible for Kew Railway Bridge across the River Thames (1864-69), together with the Waterloo and City Line (1898) and the Bakerloo Line (1906), thus making an important contribution to the construction of the London Underground system. He also ran a private practice and was responsible for various other railway-related structures around the UK. Galbraith was brought in by the North British Railway to recover their engineering reputation following the Tay Bridge Disaster and the discovery that its designer, Sir Thomas Bouch (1822-80), had under-engineered this and other bridges. Galbraith was responsible for rebuilding Bouch's South Esk Viaduct. He went on to serve as Parliamentary Consultant for the North British Railway, acting as an expert advisor during Parliamentary hearings on their engineering projects. He was consulting engineer for the rebuilding of Waverley Station, 1892-1900.

He retired from the London and South Western Railway in 1907 and died in Hampstead, London.


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