Bowman Malcolm

Bowman Malcolm (1854 – January, 1933) was an Irish railway engineer. He became Locomotive Superintendent of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR) at the age of 22 and later took on the additional role of Civil Engineer. He was an advocate of compound locomotives which he introduced to the BNCR.

The son of a Unitarian minister, Bowman Malcolm was born at Chester in north-west England. Following the death of his father at an early age, however, the family returned to its roots in Belfast. He was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) and Belfast Royal Academy (BRA).

Malcolm joined the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway at the age of 16 in 1870 as a pupil in the Locomotive Engineer's office. That he made tremendous headway with his employers is demonstrated by the fact that when the Locomotive Superintendent, Robert Findlay, resigned due to ill health in 1876, Malcolm was appointed to succeed him in this responsible position aged only 22 years.

In this role he directed the construction and rebuilding of locomotives, coaches and goods wagons and the introduction of the von Borries two-cylinder compound locomotive to the BNCR. During his tenure he oversaw the fitting of the automatic vacuum brake to all passenger stock.

The continuing confidence that the Directors had in Malcolm's ability was shown when he was additionally appointed Chief Civil Engineer to the Northern Counties Committee (NCC) of the Midland Railway (which the BNCR had become) in 1906. He also filled a similar position for the Donegal Railway.

A member of the Council of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Malcolm was also a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a past President of the Belfast Association of Engineers. Other professional affiliations included the Association of Railway and Locomotive Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution.

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