In the early Victorian era, projected canal or railway schemes were prepared by groups of promoters who hired specialists such as civil engineers, surveyors, architects or contractors to survey a route; and this resulted in the issue of a prospectus setting out their proposals.
In Britain, the Institution of Civil Engineers had been founded in London in 1818, with Thomas Telford as its first president and its formation pre-dated many of the railway schemes.
[4] Other, former army officers, such as Charles Blacker Vignoles, were to gain new careers on the railways when they became under-employed after the Napoleonic War.
[7] This was a permanent management role in the company in contrast to that of contractors, for instance, who were only hired to perform specific tasks such as construction of the line.
Finally, the L&MR's board agreed the use of moving locomotives; and the rolling stock was selected from various specialist builders by competition, at the Rainhill Trials.
[2] The specialism of mechanical engineering became established on the railways, with an emphasis on moving parts; and, in terms of importance, this was concerned with designing and building of reliable locomotives, carriages and waggons.
[12] Later, there was a desire to improve the prestige, and salary, of the locomotive superintendent and a means of achieving those aims was to seek to regrade the post as chief mechanical engineer (CME).