Donald A Matheson (1860-1935), Engineer-in-Chief and General Manager of the Caledonian Railway Co and (from 1922-1926) the London, Midland & Scottish Railway Co's Deputy General Manager in Scotland.
Born in Perthshire, Matheson worked as an engineer for several railway contractors before overseeing the construction of the 5 miles of the Glasgow Central Railway built below the city for the Caledonian Railway Co. In 1899 he was appointed the Caledonian's Engineer-in-Chief, his first major task being to supervise the enlargement of Central Station. The station was more than doubled in size. Matheson designed the much-admired station concourse as well as the new bridge which carried the railway across the Clyde.
As General Manager (1910-1922), Matheson was regularly involved in often contentious negotiations over wages and conditions of service. He was also active in public life, as a member of the boards of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Glasgow Eye Infirmary and the Broomhill Home for Incurables; as a Justice of the Peace and as a director of the Chamber of Commerce.
Matheson designed many notable buildings for the Caledonian, including the Gleneagles Hotel and the station at Wemyss Bay, the latter a destination for generations of Glaswegians on their way to Rothesay.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC 052 BAI
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
bridges, Caledonian Railway Co, engineers, Glasgow Central Railway, Glasgow Central Station, Gleneagles Hotel, London, Midland & Scottish Railway Co, managers, railway stations, railways
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