Robert Coey

Robert Coey(1851—1934) rose to be locomotive superintendent of the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) of Ireland from 1896 until 1911.[1]

Robert Coey
Born1851
Belfast
Died1934
NationalityBritish
Education
  • Royal College of Science for Ireland
  • Queen's University Belfast
Engineering career
Employer(s)Great Southern and Western Railway, Ireland
AwardsWhitworth scholarship

Life

Coey was born to parents James and Sarah at Letitia Street Belfast in 1851 who had married in September 1850. He was to be followed by three male and three female siblings, some of whom were to adopt the Scottish variant of the surname, namely Cowie.[2]

Coeys father was an engineer,[3] and following the same line Coey began his career with an apprenticeship at Victor Coates Lagan Foundry, Belfast.[3], which included designing and building industrial steam engines.[2] In 1871 he studied for a year at Royal College of Science for Ireland to improve his theoretical knowledge before gaining a Whitworth scholarship in and attending Queen's university Belfast.[4][lower-alpha 1] Coey gained a first class Bachelor of Engineering from Queen's in 1875 and started with Dublin Port and Docks board in 1876 rising to Cleak of Works relatively quickly, projects including work on Carlisle Bridge.[5]

In 1880 Coey joined Inchicore works as a draughtsman under the final years of Alexander McDonell.[6] By spare time study Coey achieved a Masters degree in Engineering from Queen's in 1882.[7]

He became works manager in 1886 under Henry Ivatt.[3] Coey became locomotive superintendent in 1896 until retirement in 1911 though ill-health when the post passed to Richard Maunsell.[8][9]

Coey is noted for his series of 4-4-0 express passenger designs at Inchicore that allowed the GS&WR expresses to cater for increasing train weights at the turn of the twentieth century.[3] The subsequent rebuilds of these engines meant by the 1930s it was rare to find any two exactly alike.[10]

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References

Notes
  1. Murray and McNeill claimed Coey entered the Inchicore railway works of the GS&WR in 1873.[3]

Footnotes
  1. Murray & McNeill (1976), pp. 149–150.
  2. Chacksfield (2003), p. 12.
  3. Murray & McNeill (1976), p. 150.
  4. Chacksfield (2003), pp. 12–13.
  5. Chacksfield (2003), pp. 13.
  6. Chacksfield (2003), p. 19.
  7. Chacksfield (2003), p. 29.
  8. Murray & McNeill (1976), p. 197.
  9. Clements & McMahon (2008), p. 58.
  10. Casserley (1974), p. 76.

Sources
  • Casserley, H. C. (1974). Outline of Irish Railway History. Newton Abbot & North Pomfret: David & Charles. ISBN 0715363778. OCLC 249227042.
  • Chacksfield, John E. (18 April 2003). The Coey/Cowie Brothers: All Railwaymen. Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0853616054. OCLC 55130220.
  • Clements, Jeremy; McMahon, Michael (2008). Locomotives of the GSR. Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. ISBN 9781906578268. OCLC 547074718.
  • Murray, K. A.; McNeill, D. B. (1976). The Great Southern & Western Railway. Irish Record Railway Society. ISBN 0904078051. OCLC 3069424.
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