Francis Trevithick


Francis Trevithick, from Camborne, Cornwall, was one of the first locomotive engineers of the London and North Western Railway.

Life

Born in 1812 as the son of Richard Trevithick, he began the study of civil engineering around 1832, and by 1840 was employed by the Grand Junction Railway.
After leaving the LNWR he returned to Cornwall and became factor of the Trehidy estates, of which his grandfather had been mineral agent in the 18th century. He wrote a biography of his father and, in 1872, had it published. He died at Penzance on 27 October 1877 and was buried there.
His son, Arthur Reginald Trevithick, worked for many years on the LNWR, including several years as assistant locomotive works manager at Crewe. Another son, Frederick Harvey Trevithick, worked for both the Great Western Railway and the Egyptian State Railways and at the latter advanced to Chief Mechanical Engineer. Another son, Richard Francis Trevithick originally worked on the LNER, but later worked for Rosaario Cordova Railway in Argentine, CME Ceylon Government Railways and then joined Japan's Imperial Government Railways where he was the Locomotive Superintendent responsible for the first locomotive to be constructed in Japan.

Career