Francis Webb Sheilds was an early civil engineer on the Sydney Railway Company during its construction but before its opening.
In England, Shields worked on a number of railway projecrs, including the then 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Dublin and Kingstown Railway. He considered himself to be a born railway engineer. [1]
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Sheilds was the Sydney City Surveyor in 1843 for a few years where he worked on water works. He resigned in order to take up a post with the Sydney Railway Company.
Sheilds main claim to fame is that he persuaded the Company, the Government and the other two mainland colonies, Victoria and South Australia, to change the gauge of these railways from 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) to 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), Sheilds being Irish and 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) being the Irish gauge, leading via tortuous steps to the national break of gaugee.
As an Irishman, the Irish gauge was clearly the best, as the English Board of Trade had chosen it in preference to the English gauge, and conversion of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway from the inadequate Standard Gauge to the superlative Irish gauge was double confirmation of this.
He resigned when his pay was cut due to financial difficulties of the Company.
His replacement, a Scot named James Wallace, recommended a change back to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in). The other two mainland colonies having order rolling stock refused to follow suit.
Sheilds' recommendation is the origin of all the breaks of gauge between 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) in Australia.