Engineering
Institutional records and personal papers of historical engineering interest including the Forth Rail Bridge Archive.
Designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, the Forth Rail Bridge (opened 1890) is a triumph of Victorian engineering. This collection includes important original photographs charting the development of the bridge, plans, sketches, news cuttings, and visitors' books
Civil engineer Thomas Brownlie (1914-2010) graduated from Edinburgh University in 1935. His papers includes notes from lectures attended and a substantial archive of materials relating to engineering projects that he carried out in India and, subsequently, in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Civil engineer John Jackson (1851-1919) studied at Edinburgh University from 1869. Knighted for his work on the Manchester Ship Canal, he won engineering contracts across the world. The papers include correspondence and photograph albums covering projects in Mesopotamia, South Africa, South America, and other locations.
Edinburgh-born James Pugh Kirkwood (1807-1877) was an American civil engineer. Although he is primarily known for his work on major rail projects (such as the Erie Railroad and Pacific Railroad), this journal mainly concerns the construction of docks at Pensacola, Florida (1845-1847).
Electrical engineer Russell A. Leather (b. 1924) graduated from Edinburgh University in 1952. These papers consist of 1st and 2nd year engineering notebooks (laboratory books), which include graphwork, drawings, and photographs of late-1940s laboratory equipment at Kings Buildings.