Isaac Watt Boulton (1823–1899) was a British engineer and founder of the locomotive-hire business known as Boulton's Siding.

Family history

Isaac Boulton was born at

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

. He was the son of John Boulton of

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the borough of High Peak (borough), High Peak, Derbyshire, England, east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. Near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Mancheste ...

who was related to

Matthew Boulton Matthew Boulton ( ; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English businessman, inventor, mechanical engineer, and silversmith. He was a business partner of the Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the par ...

Boulton and Watt Boulton & Watt was an early British engineering and manufacturing firm in the business of designing and making marine and stationary steam engines. Founded in the English West Midlands around Birmingham in 1775 as a partnership between the Engl ...

fame. Isaac had 3 sons named Thomas, Wiliam and James Watt Boulton. He had one daughter named Helena.

Career

In 1841 I. W. Boulton began an apprenticeship with the

Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne. The Peak District formed a formidable barrier, and ...

under Richard Peacock. Later, he joined his father's canal boat business and remained there until 1845. After this he set up an engineering business but little is known about it except that he built at least one steam carriage (probably similar to those built by

Richard Trevithick Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He ...

and

Goldsworthy Gurney Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (14 February 1793 – 28 February 1875) was a British surgeon, chemist, architect, Construction, builder, lecturer and consultant. He was a prototypical British gentleman scientist and inventor of the Victorian era. Amon ...

) and at least one

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

. In 1854 he joined the locomotive department of the

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the southeast of Manchester city centre. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A ...

. He left in 1856 and set up another engineering business at Portland Street,

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

, where he built and repaired steam engines of various kinds. In 1858–1859 he bought three second-hand railway locomotives (

2-2-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and no trailing wheels. This configuration, which became ver ...

tender engines built by Bury) and started to hire them out for temporary jobs. The locomotive-hire side of the business grew and so a connection to the nearest railway line was needed. This led, in 1864, to the construction of Boulton's Siding, alongside the

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

branch of the

. In 1867, one of Boulton's carriages won what is considered to be the world's first race of two self-powered road vehicles.

References

Sources

* ''The Chronicles of Boulton's Siding'', by Alfred Rosling Bennett, first published by the Locomotive Publishing Company in 1927, new impression by

David & Charles David & Charles Ltd is an English publishing company. It is the owner of the David & Charles imprint, which specialises in craft and lifestyle publishing. David and Charles Ltd acts as distributor for all David and Charles Ltd books and cont ...

1971, {{DEFAULTSORT:Boulton, Isaac Watt British mechanical engineers 1823 births 1899 deaths People from Stockport