John Dann Smelt (1860-1939)
1896 of the Argentine Great Western Railway
1939 Obituary [1]
"JOHN DANN SMELT was born in 1860 and had been a Member of the Institution since 1889. In 1876 he was articled to a civil engineer with whom he spent three years. He served his apprenticeship at the works of the London and North Western Railway Company at Crewe from 1879 to 1881, and he remained in the shops until 1882. He then entered the drawing office of the works at Crewe, where he was engaged as a draughtsman on locomotive and general mechanical engineering until 1886. He then took a post as chief assistant to Mr. W. Roberts, M.I.Mech.E., who was consulting engineer to three South American railways. In 1889 he was appointed inspecting engineer to the Argentine Great Western Railway. Although he never actually visited the Argentine he was responsible for the design of locomotives, rolling stock, track renewals, bridges, viaducts, , and other equipment for this railway. He was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers for over fifty years. He retired in 1905 and he died on 15th April 1939."