Abraham Fitzgibbon Explained

Abraham Fitzgibbon
Birth Name:	Abraham Coates Fitz-Gibbon
Birth Date:	23 January 1823
Birth Place:	Ireland
Death Place:	Bushey Heath, England
Known For:	Railway pioneer
Alma Mater:	Chalmers University of Technology
Employer:	Queensland Rail
Occupation:	Engineer
Spouse:	Isabelle Stovin
Children:	5
Parents:	Philip Fitzgibbon Elizabeth Coates

Abraham 'Abram' Fitzgibbon (23 January 1823 – 4 April 1887) was an Irish-born railroad engineer and a pioneer for narrow-gauge railways.

Career

In the early 1860s, Fitzgibbon was working at Dun Mountain Railway in Nelson, New Zealand, a horse-drawn line upon which he worked from 1860 (gauge)

Fitzgibbon arrived in the colony of Queensland in June 1863.^[1] He was appointed first chief engineer of Queensland Railways after a rise through the ranks in the early stages of the railway department development.^{[2] [3]} The first operations of the Queensland Railways opened in 1865.^[4]

There was debate regarding the choice of gauge, versus .^[5] It is claimed that Fitzgibbon said that the narrow gauge would be sufficient to last 25 or 30 years and was cheaper.^[6] Despite opposition from contemporaries, he successfully advocated for the use of narrow gauge or track in Australia.^{[7] [8] [9]} By 1867, the controversies included the termination of Fitzgibbon's contract.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Death and legacy

Fitzgibbon died on 4 April 1887 at Moorside, Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England.^[13]

The Fitzgibbon suburb of Brisbane is named after Abraham Fitzgibbon.^{[14] [15]}

Queensland railways continue to be gauge to the present day.

See also

• Three foot six inch gauge railways

Other narrow gauge pioneers in order of influence:

• Carl Abraham Pihl (1825–1897) known for the Norwegian Railways opened 1863 ;
• Robert Fairlie (1831-1885) known for the Fairlie locomotive on Festiniog Railway introduced about 1865. gauge.
• Thomas Hall (1823-1889) known for the Namaqualand Railway built 1868 ; gauge
• Paul Decauville (1846–1922) known for the Decauville system introduced 1875
• Everard Calthrop (1857–1927) known for the Barsi Light Railway opened 1897 ; gauge.

External links

• Web site: Abraham Coates Fitz-Gibbon. Institution of Civil Engineers: Obituaries. 1887. https://web.archive.org/web/20201202223652/https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Abraham_Coates_Fitz-Gibbon. 2 December 2020. live.

Notes and References

1. News: 31 August 1867. THAT'S SO!.. 4. The Queenslander. National Library of Australia. 4 March 2014.
2. Armstrong observes the rise of Fitzgibbon over the rival engineers of the time
3. News: 5 October 1863. THE GAZETTE.. 2. The Courier (Brisbane). National Library of Australia. Brisbane. 4 March 2014.
4. http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/AboutUs/Pages/OurJourney.aspx Our journey – About Queensland Rail
5. News: 18 May 1864. PARLIAMENT.. 2. The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 4 March 2014.
6. News: 22 August 1911. The Railway Gauge.. 4. The Brisbane Courier. 16,727. Queensland, Australia. 3 December 2020. National Library of Australia.
7. Web site: Adoption of the 3ft. 6ins. gauge for Queensland railways (1983) . 1 March 2014 . 10 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130810203227/http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:241160/s00855804_1983_11_4_113.pdf . live .
8. also at
9. Harding identifies railway engineers came from other Australian colonies and were highly cvritical of the proposed gauge p.36
10. News: THE RAILWAY SELECT COMMITTEE. . . Toowoomba, Qld. . 22 October 1867 . 4 March 2014 . 3 . National Library of Australia . 2 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202230323/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/75519597 . live .
11. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1286647?searchTerm=fitzgibbon%20termination&searchLimits= Termination of Fitzgibbon's contract
12. News: TREASURY NOTES AND BILLS. . . 3 August 1867 . 29 July 2012 . 2 . National Library of Australia . 2 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202230308/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/51571731 . live .
13. Web site: Person Page - 38808. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180915200855/http://www.thepeerage.com/p38808.htm. 15 September 2018. 2020-12-02. www.thepeerage.com.
14. 25 January 2020.
15. Web site: History of Fitzgibbon. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181655/http://www.ourbrisbane.com/living/suburbs/fitzgibbon/history/. 30 September 2007. 4 March 2007. Our Brisbane.