Charles Robins
Charles Robins (1821-1903)
1903 Obituary [1]
CHARLES ROBINS, born on the 29th September, 1821, was educated at King’s College, London. In 1837 he was articled to the late John Braithwaite on the Eastern Counties Railway, on which line he acted subsequently as Resident Engineer of the Chelmsford Division.
From 1846 to 1850 he was engaged under Alfred S. Jee and Herbert F. Mackworth on the Sheffield and Manchester and the Huddersfield and Manchester Railways, on which he designed and carried out many of the heavy viaducts and other works.
In 1850 Mr. Robins became Chief Assistant and Manager to James Samuel, under whom he was engaged until 1874 in carrying out numerous and varied works, among which may be mentioned the Morayshire Railway and extensions, the Newmarket Railway, the Llanelly Railway, the Vale of Towy Railway, the road bridge over the River Avon at Evesham, a 3-foot gauge line in Cape Breton for developing the extensive coal mines in that region, and the Mexican Railway from the port of Vera Cruz to the cities of Puebla and Mexico.
He acted for a time as Consulting Engineer to the Mexican Railway, in conjunction with W. Cross-Buchanan, after the death of Mr. Samuel, during which period they jointly designed and carried out an iron pier at Vera Cruz for that line.
In 1875, Mr. Robins went to Rumania for G. B. Crawley and Co, concessionaires and contractors for the Ploisci and Predeal Railway and Adjud and Ocna Railway, as Chief Engineer at Bucharest for carrying out those works.
Two years later, however, owing to the impending war between Russia and Turkey, the works were stopped. He then accepted the post of Chief Assistant in Dublin to W. H. Mills, Engineer-in-Chief of the Great Northern Railway of Ireland. During the seven years he held that appointment he prepared the working drawings of several viaducts and bridges, and also of part of the new Dublin Station. In 1885 he retired from professional work.
Mr. Robins died at Chester on the 10th February, 1903, in his eighty-second year.
He was elected a Member of the Institution on the 5th February, 1867.