William Redpath
William Redpath (1882-1949)
1950 Obituary [1]
"WILLIAM REDPATH was associated with the design and manufacture of railway rolling stock for almost the whole of his professional career.
He was born in 1882 and was educated at Armstrong College, Newcastle upon Tyne, where he obtained the Diploma in mechanical and electrical engineering. After serving his time in the works of the North Eastern Railway's carriage and wagon department, at York, and in the drawing office at Gateshead, he continued in the service of the company as a draughtsman for a further two years, during which time he was engaged on Government wagon design.
He then went to the United States, and gained further experience in the drawing offices of the American Car and Foundry Co, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. On his return to this country in 1907, he was appointed leading draughtsman to the Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Co, at Shrewsbury, and three years later took up a similar appointment with the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company, Ltd., of Birmingham.
In 1912 he joined the staff of Messrs. Rendel, Palmer and Tritton, Westminster, consulting engineers, and was placed in charge of the designs and contracts for Indian and Colonial railways.
During the war of 1914-18 Mr. Redpath was responsible for the design and supervision of the construction of all wagons ordered by the War Office and the Ministry of Munitions. In 1919 he became joint general manager of the Leeds Forge Co, a position he held for ten years, during which time he was responsible for the design of the famous expresses, "The Blue Train" and the "Golden Arrow". After acting as assistant managing director of the Howard Pneumatic Engineering Co he was appointed, in 1932, general manager and managing director of the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, Ltd. He relinquished this position two years later, and, going into practice as a consulting engineer, also acted as engineer adviser to the Railway Assessment Authority. He became attached to the staff of the Air Ministry in 1940, and in 1942 was promoted to the post of Regional Controller, Ministry of Aircraft Production, Eastern Region, Cambridge.
In 1946, on the merger of the Ministry of Aircraft Production and the Ministry of Supply, he became Regional Controller of the two Ministries. In his capacity as Regional Controller he was a Member of the Eastern Regional Board for Industry. Mr. Redpath, whose death occurred on 7th August 1949, was elected a Member of the Institution in 1929."