Abraham Fitzgibbon

Abraham 'Abram' Fitzgibbon (23 January 1823 – 4 April 1887) was an Irish-born railroad engineer and a pioneer for narrow-gauge railways.

Abraham Fitzgibbon
Abraham Fitzgibbon circa 1863
Born	Abraham Coates Fitz-Gibbon (1823-01-23)23 January 1823 Ireland
Died	4 April 1887(1887-04-04) (aged 64) Bushey Heath, England
Alma mater	Chalmers University of Technology
Occupation	Engineer
Employer	Queensland Rail
Known for	Railway pioneer
Spouse	Isabelle Stovin
Children	5
Parent(s)	Philip Fitzgibbon Elizabeth Coates

Career

In the early 1860s, Fitzgibbon was working at Dun Mountain Railway in Nelson, New Zealand, a horse-drawn line upon which he worked from 1860 (3 ft / 914 mm gauge)

Fitzgibbon arrived in the colony of Queensland in June 1863.^[1] He was appointed first chief engineer of Queensland Railways after a rise through the ranks in the early stages of the railway department development.^[2][3][4][5] The first operations of the Queensland Railways opened in 1865.^[6]

There was debate regarding the choice of gauge, 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) versus 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.^[7] It is claimed that Fitzgibbon said that the narrow gauge would be sufficient to last 25 or 30 years and was cheaper.^[8] Despite opposition from contemporaries, he successfully advocated for the use of narrow gauge or 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) track in Australia.^[9][10][11] By 1867, the controversies included the termination of Fitzgibbon's contract.^[12][13][14]

Death and legacy

Fitzgibbon died on 4 April 1887 at Moorside, Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England.^[15]

The Fitzgibbon suburb of Brisbane is named after Abraham Fitzgibbon.^[16][17]

Queensland railways continue to be 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge to the present day.

See also

• Three foot six inch gauge railways

Other narrow gauge pioneers in order of influence:

• Carl Abraham Pihl (1825–1897) known for the Norwegian Railways opened 1863; 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
• Robert Fairlie (1831–1885) known for the Fairlie locomotive on Festiniog Railway introduced about 1865. 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge.
• Thomas Hall (1823–1889) known for the Namaqualand Railway built 1868; 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge
• Paul Decauville (1846–1922) known for the Decauville system introduced 1875
• Everard Calthrop (1857–1927) known for the Barsi Light Railway opened 1897; 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge.