Famous Railway Engineers

Sir John Benjamin MacNeill

Sir John Benjamin MacNeill was born in County Louth circa 1793. He became a principal assistant to Thomas Telford who was working on road and bridge building in Scotland and England. He set up in business as a consulting engineer in 1834. He was elected the first Professor of Civil Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. He held this post from 1842-1852. He became Chief Engineer of the Great Southern and Western Railway. MacNeill designed Carlow Railway Station. In later life he went blind. He died in London on March 2nd, 1880.

Carlow County Library courtesy of The Royal Society (London)

Sir John Benjamin MacNeill
Carlow County Library courtesy of The Royal Society (London)

Sir John Benjamin MacNeill

Sir John Benjamin MacNeill was born in County Louth circa 1793. He became a principal assistant to Thomas Telford who was working on road and bridge building in Scotland and England. He set up in business as a consulting engineer in 1834. He was elected the first Professor of Civil Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. He held this post from 1842-1852. He became Chief Engineer of the Great Southern and Western Railway. MacNeill designed Carlow Railway Station. In later life he went blind. He died in London on March 2nd, 1880.

Carlow County Library courtesy of The Royal Society (London)

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Sir John Benjamin Macneill [1792-1880]

Sir John Benjamin Macneill was born near Dundalk c1792. He first worked as an engineer under the Grand Jury System in the Dundalk area. Later he worked with the famous engineer Thomas Telford on roads and bridges in Scotland and England. Following Telford's death in 1834 Macneill established, a practice as a consulting engineer in London, Glasgow and later in Dublin.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1838. Sir John Macneill held the first chair of Civil Engineering in Trinity College. He was engineer of many Irish Railway lines. Including the Great Southern and Western Railway. Carlow Railway Station was designed by him and was in place for the opening of the Dublin to Carlow line in 1846.

In later years, Macneill became blind and ceased to work in his profession. He moved to London to be near his sons. He died there on March 2nd 1880.

William Dargan [1799-1867]

William Dargan was born near the town of Carlow on 28th February 1799. His father intended him for the profession of Surveyor, but at an early age, he was introduced to Telford the engineer of the Holyhead road in Wales. Dargan took charge of this project circa 1819. He returned to Ireland and was the contractor for the first railway line in Ireland, the Dublin to Kingstown line. He also worked on the Ulster Canal and the Belfast Waterworks. The Great Southern and Western Railway was also undertaken by Dargan. He was always concerned with the morale of his workmen and the improvement of conditions for his labourers. He arranged the Great Exhibition in Dublin in 1853 and financed it with a sum of approximately £100,000. Dargan became the largest railway contractor in Ireland. He became Chairman of the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway in1860. In 1866, he was seriously injured when he fell from a horse. His health declined and he died on 7th February, 1867 at the age of 68. Dargan was buried in Prospect Cemetery, Glasnevin on 11th February 1867.

Dargan Plaque: Carlow Station

View of Dargan Plaque at Carlow Railway Station.

Carlow County Library

Dargan Plaque: Carlow Station
Carlow County Library

Dargan Plaque: Carlow Station

View of Dargan Plaque at Carlow Railway Station.

Carlow County Library

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The Carlow Sentinel of the 16th Feb 1867 reported that "Every mark of respect for the memory and deep regret for the loss of one who may be justly termed illustrious, was shown by men occupying the most exalted positions in society, by the mercantile and trading classes, by the rich and poor as all felt that in doing honor to the memory of William Dargan they were discharging a public duty, and expressing the gratitude which they felt to the greatest benefactor of his country in the time in which he lived." Amongst those present were those who had worked on his many contracts. And also the poor were present in large numbers. "The coffin was of highly polished oak, bearing gilt mountings and a burnished shield, on which was engraved-

"William Dargan,
"Died 7th of February, 1867.
"Aged 68 years."

The Old Carlow Society unveiled a plaque to the memory of William Dargan at Carlow Railway Station on 12th Sept 1993.