Study on British Railway Engineers: Focusing on Competitiveness, Cooperation, and Networking between Engineers

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12830
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07070:Economic history-related
• Research Institution: Kokushikan University (2021-2022); Tezukayama University (2018-2020)
• Principal Investigator: TOMITA Shin 国士舘大学, 経営学部, 准教授 (50611810)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: イギリス鉄道業 / 鉄道技師

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The study clarifies the relationships and networks among British railway engineers and reevaluates their roots, roles, achievements, and influence in the creation and development of the railway industry. The study reveals that the networks between civil engineers and mining and mechanical engineers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries were extremely complex, with exclusive and competitive aspects, and sometimes cooperative aspects.
Through the analysis of the presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), it was revealed that in the early years of the ICE, civil engineers were mainly involved in roads, canals, docks, and lighthouses. However, towards the middle of the 19th century, the presidents of the ICE were dominated by railway engineers. Furthermore, London-based consulting engineers played an important role in developing railways in the formal and informal British Empire including Japan and Africa.

Free Research Field

経営史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、鉄道技師の競争と協調という二つの視点に着目し、産業革命期以降の技術者でマクロレベルの大発明を担った発明家・技術者だけでなく、これまで重視されてこなかったミクロレベルの標準的発明家・技術者についても網羅し、鉄道業に関する知識・技術の普及とそれを可能にした社会的・人的資本ネットワークの形成・発展をよりダイナミックな視点から明らかにしようとするところに意義がある。特に、初期の鉄道技師の系譜を18世紀後半から19世紀前半の土木・炭鉱・機械技師に求め、そこから19世紀後半にかけどのように独立した鉄道技師の地位が形成・確立されたのかを、ICE会長職経験者等の経歴分析等を通して明らかにした。