Sexton, Richard Ernest (1861 - 1930)

Summary

Richard Sexton MInstCE MIEAust, was the Chief engineer of the Queensland Railways 1919-1930. Almost his entire career was as a construction engineer with Queensland Railways, commencing as a cadet in 1879 when he was 18.

He had a major role in the interlinking of the many separate government railway systems, each based on a major port and extending inland. This was finally achieved when the railway bridge over the Johnstone River at Innisfail was opened in 1924, completing the Sunshine route from Brisbane to Cairns.

In 1922 the Government established the Main Roads Commission, and switched the construction emphasis from rail to road, building development roads that fed to the railway system.

In 1925 he was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, career achievement award in engineering, by the Institution of Engineers Australia.

Under Sexton's guidance, construction continued on the standard gauge railway, linking Brisbane to the New South Wales railway system, enabling a continuous journey to be made between Brisbane and Sydney. This work was largely completed in 1930, shortly before his death.

He was also the Chairman of the Queensland Advisory Committee of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London, and just before his death was appointed the Australian representative on its Council.

Details

Chronology

1868 - 1879

Education - State and High Schools, Brisbane, Queensland

1879 - 1881

Career position - Engineering cadet / draftsman, Chief Engineer's Branch, Northern Division, Queensland Railways [under Chief engineer Robert Ballard MInstCE]

1881 - 1882

Career position - Assistant to District Engineer, Constructing Central railway, Queensland Railways [over the Drummond Range, branch line from Emerald to Springsure, and to Clermont. Under Chief engineer Robert Ballard MInstCE]

1882

Career event - Student Member (StudInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1883 - 1891

Career position - Assistant Engineer-in-chief, Supervising construction several sections of new railways, Queensland Railways [Morven to Charleville extension, Bowden railway]

1892 - 1897

Career position - Engineer, Sugar farming industry, Bowen district - due to cessation of Public Works following depression

1897 - 1907

Career position - Resident engineer, Supervising construction under Central system, and using Day labour system, Queensland Railways [Charleville to Cunnamulla railway extension, deviation works on the North Coast Line near Gympie, Tweed Heads, Degilbo to Wetherton, Warwick to Goondiwindi, and Richmond to Cloncurry lines.]

1907 - 1909

Career position - Relieving District Engineer, Maintenance of all railways, Queensland Railways

1909 - 1911

Career position - Inspecting Engineer, under Chief Engineer, for all railway construction, Queensland Railways

1911 - 1914

Career position - Deputy Chief Engineer, Construction and Maintenance, Queensland Railways

1914 - 1915

Career position - Engineer-in-chief, Construction Branch, Queensland Railways

1915 - 1916

Career position - Chief engineer - Construction and Maintenance, Southern Division, Queensland Railways

14 Dec 1915

Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1916 - 1919

Career position - Chief engineer - Construction, Queensland Railways

1919 - 1930

Career position - Chief Engineer, Queensland Railways

1920

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1921 - 1922

Career position - Council member, Institution of Engineers Australia [Queensland Division representative]

1921 - 1929

Career position - Committee member, Brisbane Division, Institution of Engineers Australia

1925

Career position - Chairman, Brisbane Division, Institution of Engineers Australia

1925

Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia

Related entries

Published resources

Edited Books

• Cossins, Geoffrey ed., Eminent Queensland Engineers - Volume 2 (Brisbane, Queensland: The Institution of Engineers, Australia, Queensland Division, 1999), 113 pp. https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2017-02/eqe_vol_2.compressed_0.pdf. 'Sexton, Richard Ernest (1861-1930), railway engineer', pp.94-95. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Memoirs', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 5 (1933), 32-34. 'Obituary: Richard Ernest Sexton MIEAust', p.33. Details

Resources

• Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 'Application: 14800, 1915', Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/3585/. Details

See also

• 'P. N. Russell Memorial Medal [List of recipients 1923 - 1931]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 3 (1931), 445. Details