William Baker (engineer)

William Baker (19 May 1817 – 20 December 1878) was an English railway engineer.

Between 1834 and 1839 Baker was articled to George W. Buck and then worked on the London and Birmingham Railway between London and Tring. From 1837 he worked with Buck on the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. He later became engineer of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway while also working on the Shrewsbury and Birmingham and Shropshire Union Railways. He became engineer of the Stour Valley Railway and was then appointed as engineer of the Southern Division of the London and North Western Railway.{{cite web |url=https://steamindex.com/people/civils.htm#bakerw |title=Biographies of Civil Engineers |at=Baker, William |access-date=2008-04-23 |website=steamindex.com }}

He was a consulting engineer in the construction of the 1862 International Exhibition building.{{cite news |author= |title=Death of Mr. William Baker | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000033/18781223/004/0004 |newspaper=Birmingham Daily Post |location=England |date=23 December 1878 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}

Following the death of Robert Stephenson he was appointed chief engineer of the London and North Western Railway Company. He wholly constructed, or remodelled and extended, the stations of the company in London, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as the stations in Birmingham, Preston, Bolton, Crewe, Warrington and Stafford. He constructed a new harbour at Holyhead and was responsible for designing and overseeing the building of the Runcorn Railway Bridge.{{citation | last =Cowan | first = C. A.| title =Crossing the Runcorn Gap, Vol. 3: Runcorn Railway Bridge | publisher =Halton Borough Council | year =1990 }} Baker was designer and engineer of the Battersea Railway Bridge.{{citation |url=http://www.lonwalk.ndirect.co.uk/bridsum.htm |title=London's Thames Bridges basic facts |access-date=2008-04-23 |publisher= Brian Cookson}} He also acted as consulting engineer to the West London Extension Railway and the North London Railway, and in Ireland he built the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway and the North Wall Extension Railways. He was elected MICE in 1848.

Works

Oxley Viaduct, Gorsebrook Road, Wolverhampton 1847-49{{National Heritage List for England|num=1201817 |desc=Oxley Viaduct |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}} (with Robert Stephenson)
Belvidere Bridge, Uffington, Shropshire 1848 (now bridge number 438){{National Heritage List for England|num=1177239 |desc=Bridge Number 438 (Belvedere Bridge) |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Bridges on the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway Viaduct 1849 (bridge over the Rochdale canal survives, bridge over Egerton Street replaced in 1976){{National Heritage List for England|num=1200837 |desc=Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway Viaduct |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Viaduct, Stafford Road, Wolverhampton 1849-51 (with Robert Stephenson){{National Heritage List for England|num=1293282 |desc= Viaduct on Stour Valley Line |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
North Wall extension railway, Dublin 1861
Wigan, Tyldesley and Eccles Railway 1861-64{{cite news |author= |title=Cutting the first sod of the Wigan, Tyldesley and Eccles Railway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001974/18610913/030/0002|newspaper=Wigan Observer and District Advertiser |location=England |date=13 September 1861 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}
Cremorne Bridge, Battersea 1863{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1393005 |desc=Cremore Bridge, West London Extension Railway Bridge, Battersea |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Manchester Piccadilly railway station 1862-66{{National Heritage List for England|num=1283014 |desc=Train shed and undercroft at Manchester Piccadilly Station |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Stafford railway station 1862
Goods shed south east of Stafford railway station ca. 1862{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1389629 |desc=Goods Shed South-East of Stafford Railway Station |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Buxton Road Railway Bridge, Whaley Bridge ca. 1863{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1119771 |desc=Railway Bridge |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
City extension on the Kingsland Viaduct from Dalston Junction to Broad Street of the North London Railway 1864-65{{cite news |author= |title=City Extension of the North London Railway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004367/18640109/032/0010 |newspaper=Railway News |location=England |date=9 January 1864 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} (with William Lawford (resident engineer))
Crewe railway station 1867{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1436435 |desc=1867 buildings at Crewe Railway Station |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Liverpool Lime Street railway station 1867{{cite news |author= |title=Enlargement of the Lime-Street Railway Station | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003114/18670527/050/0004 |newspaper=The Albion |location=England |date=27 May 1867 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} (with Francis Stevenson)
Warrington Bank Quay railway station 1867-68
Runcorn Railway Bridge 1868{{cite news |author= |title=Runcorn Bridge | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000391/18680930/105/0007 |newspaper=Chester Courant |location=England |date=30 September 1868 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}
Earlestown wagon factory 1868 (extensions){{cite news |author= |title=London and North Western Railway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0004367/18680530/004/0001?browse=true |newspaper=Railway News |location=England |date=30 May 1868 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}
Standedge Railway Tunnel (second bore) 1868-71{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1224282 |desc=Railway tunnel portals MVL3/40, east end of Standedge Tunnel |access-date=20 February 2022 |mode=cs2}}
Euston railway station 1870 (enlargement){{cite news |author= |title=London and North Western Railway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002194/18691113/023/0001 |newspaper=Sun (London) |location=England |date=13 November 1869 |access-date=20 February 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}
Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway 1873

References

Category:1817 births

Category:1878 deaths

Category:British railway civil engineers

Category:London and North Western Railway people