Some notes on John Farquharson McIntosh, Locomotive Superintendent of The Caledonian Railway.

Born on 28 February 1846, the fourth of seven children, in a cottage at Haugh of Kinnaird, Farnell where his father was an agricultural labourer on the estate of Lord Southesk.

The family moved to Cotton House of Tayock, in the Parish of Dunn, by 1851 where his father had become a railway labourer.

At the age of 14 John started his lifelong railway career as an apprentice, with the Scottish North Eastern Railway, at the Arbroath workshops. In 1865 he passed out as a fireman and two years later qualified as a driver and moved to Montrose, by which time he was an employee of the Caledonian Railway which had absorbed the SNER in 1866.

He lost his right hand in an accident, the details of which are unknown, but is reported as 1876 or 1877. Around this time he was appointed as Locomotive Inspector for the northern section. It is not clear if he was appointed before or after the accident as reports differ.

By further promotion he assumed responsibility for all the locations north of Greenhill. The 1881 Census records John F. McIntosh as a lodger at 20 Victoria Street, Perth an unmarried 35 year old Locomotive Inspector.

His career after Perth saw him as Locomotive Foreman at Aberdeen, Carstairs and Polmadie (Glasgow). He was Chief Inspector under Dugald Drummond and Smellie and became Locomotive Running Superintendent and deputy to John Lambie.

It was due to the sudden death of Lambie that John F. McIntosh found himself behind the chief’s desk on the 1 February 1895, 34 years after starting his working life. There appears to have been some doubt about his appointment as the Company Board Minutes record "to be tentative and for reconsideration at the end of six months". His appointment salary of £700 pa compares poorly with the £1700 which was Drummond’s starting salary 13 years earlier.

Eleven months later in January 1896 CR 721, "Dunalastair" outshopped from St Rollox and the legend of John F. McIntosh and his locomotives began.

"It is noteworthy that Mr McIntosh, unlike many other great locomotive engineers, produced no "failures"; it is true that he had no taste for daring and ingenious novelties, but stuck to sound practical methods...", Railway and Travel Monthly, June 1914

"My guide spoke in glowing terms about his chief and I got the impression that he was very popular with his staff and among the enginemen and others whose activities he controlled", Chas. S Lake, The Railway Magazine, July/Aug. 1943

"To authorities of standing, he was always pleased to explain and discuss his locomotives, their development, and his future plans, and to suggest footplate trips for testing his locomotives", Railway and Travel Monthly, March 1918.

One of these footplate trips was described by Charles Rous-Marten in "The Engineer" 28 February 1896, in which he sets out the performance of the new "Dunalastair" on a running in trip from Carlisle to Carstairs. The very detailed report includes "Mr McIntosh was with me on the footplate and took a keen interest in the working of the splendid engine.

McIntosh’s straightforward approach was illustrated by a report on a meeting in Chicago of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (date not established). The papers read dealt with fixed plants for testing locomotives, including the GWR’s at Swindon. McIntosh in reporting on the CR tests said " we have no fixed locomotive testing plant, properly so called, unless a 10 mile gradient of 1 in 75 may be classed as such (Beattock Bank). All our tests have been taken in actual running.......these are the working conditions for the engine, and these conditions are simply unobtainable on a fixed testing plant".

His registered patents include the spark arrester fitted first to CR 664, a half sister of CR 828, and the Gauge Glass Protector which was manufactured by Gresham and Craven of Manchester and was fitted to locomotives beyond the CR

He wrote a number of articles for the technical/railway publications, supplied regular details of all his new locomotives and rolling stock, sat on technical committees and was President of the Association of Railway Locomotive Engineers in 1911.

In the same year he received the MVO, Member of the Victorian Order, from King George V, on board the Royal Train at Perth. In the autumn of 1913 on the return trip from Balmoral, Mr McIntosh, in obedience to a "command" attended at the Royal Saloon at Carlisle, where His Majesty wished him goodbye. A proud end to the fine career of a boy, born in a tied labourers cottage some 18 months before the first Caledonian Train ran from Carlisle to Beattock.

John F. McIntosh had married Jeanie Fleming Logan and when he died on 6 February 1918 he was survived by his wife, 3 sons and 4 daughters. The funeral was private and he does not appear to have been buried in either the Southern Necropolis or Craighton cemetery which were the two closest to his home at 38 Dalziel Drive, Pollockshields, Glasgow.

Any additional details of John F’s life and career would be gladly received

Jim MacIntosh

If you have any information on JF McIntosh please contact Jim MacIntosh by clicking on this email link: MacIntosh@caley828.co.uk