John Dixon (engineer)

John Dixon (c.1795–1865) was an English railway civil engineer, and was the Stockton and Darlington Railway's Chief Civil Engineer between 1842 and 1865.

History[edit]

John Dixon started work as a bank clerk and in 1821, at the age of 26, assisted George and Robert Stephenson to survey the Stockton and Darlington Railway.^[1] Dixon became one of the two Resident Engineers when George was later awarded the post of Engineer.^[2] Dixon is listed as an assistant engineer when the company of George Stephenson & Son was formed to survey and build railways at the end of 1824.^[3] He assisted George building the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and was at the Rainhill Trials, and wrote a letter, which still exists, describing the event to his brother James.^[4] He was an engineer for the Grand Junction Railway, and returned to Darlington become Chief Civil Engineer to the Stockton and Darlington Railway between 1842 and 1865.^[5]

John Dixon was the great nephew of Jeremiah Dixon, who with Charles Mason set the Mason–Dixon line that separates Northeastern from Southern United States.^[1] He died in Darlington, aged 68, on 10 October 1865.^[6]

The John Dixon responsible for transporting Cleopatra's Needle to England was the nephew of this man. He was born on 2 January 1835 and died in Croydon on 28 December 1891.^[7]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Davis, p. 71.
^ Rolt, p. 72.
^ Rolt, p. 105.
^ Davis, pp. 182–183.
^ Kirby, p. 185.
^ "Jeans (1875) The 50th Anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway" (PDF). quoted in the "Dixons of Cockfield". Retrieved 25 March 2014.
^ London Illustrated News 14 February 1891

Bibliography

Davis, Hunter (1975). George Stephenson: A Biographical Study of the Father of Railways. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0297769340.
Kirby, Maurice W. (4 July 2002). The Origins of Railway Enterprise: The Stockton and Darlington Railway 1821–1863. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89280-3.
Rolt, L.T.C. (1984). George and Robert Stephenson: The Railway Revolution. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-007646-8.

External links[edit]

Autograph letter from John Dixon to his brother James, describing the Rainhill Trials, at Bonhams.

[FOOTNOTEDavis71-1] Davis, p. 71.

[FOOTNOTERolt72-2] Rolt, p. 72.

[FOOTNOTERolt105-3] Rolt, p. 105.

[FOOTNOTEDavis182–183-4] Davis, pp. 182–183.

[FOOTNOTEKirby185-5] Kirby, p. 185.

[6] "Jeans (1875) The 50th Anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway" (PDF). quoted in the "Dixons of Cockfield". Retrieved 25 March 2014.

[7] London Illustrated News 14 February 1891

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