{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox engineer |image = Alexander Ross (1845–1923).png |image_width = |caption = |name = Alexander Ross |birth_date = {{Birth date|1845|4|20|df=yes}} |birth_place = Laggan, County of Inverness, Scotland |death_date = {{death date and age text|3 February 1923|20 April 1845}} |death_place = London, England |education = |spouse = |parents = |children = |discipline = Civil, |institutions = Institution of Civil Engineers (president) |practice_name = |significant_projects = |significant_design = |significant_advance = |significant_awards = }} '''Alexander Ross''' (20 April 1845 – 3 February 1923) was a British civil engineer particularly noted for his work with the railway industry.
== Biography == Ross was born in Laggan, County of Inverness in Scotland on 20 April 1845.<ref name="steam">{{Cite web |website=steamindex.com |title=Biographies of Civil Engineers |url=https://steamindex.com/people/civils.htm#ross | accessdate = 2008-01-17 |at=Ross, Alexander }}</ref> He was educated in Aberdeen and at Owen's College in Manchester, an institution now a part of the University of Manchester. Ross began his career in railway engineering with the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) before moving to the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1871. In 1873 he went to work for the North Eastern Railway (NER) before returning to LNWR in the next year. He changed employer again in 1884 when he went to work for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) before becoming the Chief Engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) in 1890. During his time at MS&LR he was responsible for the design of many of the works involved with that company's London Extension.
In 1896 Ross became the Chief Engineer of the Great Northern Railway (GNR), a post he held until 1911 when he became an engineering consultant.<ref name="steam"/> During his time at GNR his advice was sought by the company's board on the locomotive design to be chosen for their no.1300 series of engines. Several designs were rejected as they were judged to be too long or heavy for the rail infrastructure. Only one was built, and despite several attempts at redesign by Nigel Gresley the locomotive was scrapped in 1924.<ref name="steam2">{{Cite web |website=steamindex.com | title = Ivatt locomotives |url=https://steamindex.com/locotype/ivattloco.htm | accessdate = 2008-01-17}}</ref> His works as an engineering consultant included the Hertford Loop Line and Breydon Viaduct, with Ross serving as the Engineer-in-Chief of the latter.<ref name="breydon">{{Citation|last=Marriott |first=W |last2=Gribble |first2=TG |title=The Breydon Viaduct at Great Yarmouth |year=1904 |url=http://www.atypon-link.com/TELF/doi/abs/10.1680/imotp.1904.16530?journalCode=imotp |doi=10.1680/imotp.1904.16530 |volume=157 |journal=Minutes of the Proceedings |pages=265–277 |url-access=subscription }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On 16 June 1897 he was appointed Major in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid unit of the Volunteer Force which provided technical advice to the British Army.<ref name="gazette">{{London Gazette|issue=26862 |page=3315|date=15 June 1897}}</ref> He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in that corps at the time it joined the Territorial Force on 1 April 1908.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28207 |page=9758|date=22 December 1908}}</ref> He had been a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers since before 16 June 1897 and from November 1915 to November 1916 he served as their president.<ref name="gazette"/><ref name="civils252">{{Harvnb|Watson|1988|p=252}}.</ref> Ross died in London on 3 February 1923.<ref name="steam"/>
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
=== Bibliography === *{{citation | last = Watson | first = Garth | title = The Civils | publisher = Thomas Telford Ltd | year = 1988 | isbn = 0-7277-0392-7}}
{{s-start}} {{s-npo|pro}} {{s-bef|before=Benjamin Hall Blyth}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the Institution of Civil Engineers |years=November 1915 – November 1916}} {{s-aft|after=Maurice Fitzmaurice}} {{end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Alexander}} Category:1845 births Category:1923 deaths Category:Scottish civil engineers Category:Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers Category:Engineer and Railway Staff Corps officers Category:Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) people