R H Livesey

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Robert Henry Livesey was appointed Traffic Manager of the NWNGR in April 1877, before the first partial opening for goods on 21 May.

In November 1879 he was appointed Secretary and General Manager, and from 1 January 1884, also Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent, including the maintenance and repair of Rolling Stock and Permanent Way, succeeding James Cleminson in that role.

Livesey was born in Chester, assisted his father James who was Locomotive Superintendent at the Chester Division of the GWR for 2 years and then worked under the Station Master at Birkenhead for the Birkenhead Joint Railway Co., later Joint Superintendent of the line, a total at Birkenhead of 3 years. Then he joined the LNWR Goods Dept. He had 12 years Railway experience before joining the NWNGR.

In 1883 he was living in Carnarvon [1].

On 7 August 1890 he was presented with a gold watch by the Company at a farewell gift as he left to take up the positions of Secretary and Locomotive Superintendent of the West Donegal and Finn Valley Railways in Ireland. He was to work for the County Donegal Railways (as they were to become), from 1897 also as General Manager until 1907 when he retired, to be succeeded as Loco, Traffic and PW Superintendent by his son R. M. Livesey until he left for India in 1922.

R. H. Livesey was succeeded at the NWNGR by Samuel Tanner, as Secretary, Manager and Locomotive Superintendent, but the Engineering part of the job was taken on by James Weeks Szlumper (later Sir) in mid 1891.


References[edit]

  • Carnarvon & Denbigh Herald 28 June 1879, Cambrian News 26 September 1890, North Wales Express 8 & 15 August 1890

See also[edit]