Biographical entry
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Bright Sparcs
Biographical entry
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Thomson, Herbert (1870 - 1947) |
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| Manufacturer and Engineer | ||
| Born: 13 July 1870 Prahran, Victoria, Australia. Died: 26 October 1947 Richmond, Vaud, Australia. | ||
| Herbert Thomson trained as an engineer and as a boy, worked for his father helping to install coal-producing bores at Yallourn and Altona. In 1889 he made a steam-engine which was used in a launch on the Yarra River. Thomson set up his own business as a manufacturer of steam-engines and boilers in Melbourne in 1897 and in 1899 built a steam car, one of the first self-propelled road vehicles in Australia. This car is now in the Museum of Victoria and an early Thomson engine is in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Thomson’s company was incorporated in 1900 as the Thomson Motor Car Co. Ltd. He also built steam-engines for merry-go-rounds; the best-known, at St Kilda beach, was later purchased by the Commonwealth government and moved to Canberra. Once the company folded in 1912, Thomson worked as a consulting engineer. |
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Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007 Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Disclaimer, Copyright and Privacy Policy Submit any comments, questions, corrections and additions Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 26 February 2007 http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P002671b.htm |