Draft:Willem Christiaan Brade

Willem Christiaan Brade (Noordlaren, November 11 1791 – Brussels, April 27, 1858) was a Dutch captain of engineers, civil engineer, draftsman, teacher, and author, known as a co-founder of the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (Dutch Iron Railway Company).

Life
Brade was the son of Frederik Willem Brade, a military captain, and Maria Christina Folkers. Brade began his higher education at military school in The Hague. After the annexation by France, he received an officer training at the School of Bridges and Roads, the École nationale des ponts et chaussées, becoming an officer of engineers in the French army.

After the war in 1815, Brade, along with Isaac Paul Delprat and Frederic Baud, was admitted to theArtillery and Engineer School in Delft for engineering education. In this capacity, he was stationed in Gouda in 1817 with the rank of captain of engineers. Following accusations of homosexual behavior, he was forced to leave the Corps in 1819 and established himself in Amsterdam as a civil engineer and architect. Brade contributed to the maritime works of Den Helder and worked as an engineer for the construction of the Ourthe Canal on behalf of the Society of Luxembourg.

In the early 1830s, he studied rail transport in England. Upon his return to the Netherlands, he worked as a surveyor on the planning of the railway connection between Amsterdam and Cologne under the leadership of William Archibald Bake. Along with L.J.J. Serrurier and R. le Chevalier, he founded the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij in 1837, where he was appointed as the engineering director. In 1839, he was replaced by Frederik Willem Conrad Jr.

Brade returned to Amsterdam, where he worked on various projects, including a design for a bridge over the IJ in Amsterdam, a stock exchange building, a tunnel under the IJ dating back to 1850, and a water supply project for Amsterdam. In the year of his death, 1858, Brade was still involved in the founding of the Nederlandsche Centraal-Spoorweg-Maatschappij(Dutch Central Railway Company).

Biography
Brade was married to Geeske van der Steege (*1799) from Groningen, daughter of Jacobus van der Steege and Maria Jacoba Lieffering, on Friday, June 30, 1820, in Amsterdam. They had five children. The family first lived in Amstelland, then in The Hague in 1826, in Liège in 1829, and from 1834 again in Amsterdam, later residing in the Warmoesstraat.

Career
In 1827, Brade distinguished himself with the publication of the "Bouwkundige handboek," which appeared in four or five volumes. In the fourth volume from 1834, he provided the first extensive description in the Netherlands of the new means of transportation, the "railway with steam traction," and its advantages. He evolved into one of the first railway experts in the Netherlands. Brade was closely involved in the construction of the first railway line in the Netherlands, the Amsterdam - Haarlem railway, and in the design of the route from Haarlem via Leiden to Rotterdam. Afterwards, he worked on various projects in and around Amsterdam, particularly concerning the establishment of the city's first water supply.

Theoretical and Practical Architectural Handbook, 1827
Between 1827 and 1834, Brade published "Theoretisch en practisch bouwkundig handboek" in four parts. In the subtitle of the book, he indicated that it was intended for "engineers, architects, overseers, carpenters, bricklayers, and other construction professionals."

Earlier in 1821, the Society for the Encouragement of Architecture, a predecessor of the Society for the Promotion of Architecture, in Amsterdam, announced a competition for such a work. Since the need was not met, according to Brade (1927), he decided, with extensive subscriptions led by King William I, to undertake this work.

This work was based on the most famous works of French theorists of the time, such as Jean-Baptiste Rondelet (1743–1829), Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand (1760–1834), Bernard Forest de Bélidor (1698-1761), Emiland Gauthey (1732-1806), and Claude-Louis Navier (1785-1836), as well as German theorists like Carl Friedrich von Wiebeking (1762-1842) and Friedrich Gilly, among others.

The first part dealt with architectural engineering, beginning with a section on building materials. The second part covered hydraulic engineering. These works were used at the time by technically trained engineers of Waterstaat (the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) and the Genie (the Dutch Corps of Engineers). At the most renowned institution of that time, the Royal Military Academy in Breda, civil engineering and fortification were taught by engineering officers Carel Marius Storm van 's Gravesande (1809-1880) and Willem Anthonie Froger. Storm van 's Gravesande later wrote his own work, Handleiding tot de kennis der burgerlijke en militaire bouwkunst (Manual for the Knowledge of Civil and Military Architecture) in 1843.

A more influential work from that time was the Handleiding tot de kennis der waterbouwkunde voor de kadetten van den waterstaat en der genie aan de Koninklijke militaire akademie published in 1844 by Duco Johannes Storm Buysing, who later became a lecturer at the Royal Academy in Delft.

Railway Amsterdam-Cologne, 1832-34
In the span of three years, from 1832 to 1834, Brade collaborated with Lieutenant Colonel William Archibald Bake and Bernardus Hermanus Goudriaan, Chief Engineer of the General Service of Water Management, on the design for the construction of the Amsterdam-Arnhem Railway. For this railway line from Amsterdam to Cologne, they primarily worked on the Amsterdam-Prussian border section of the route.

Fourth part "covering Iron Railways", 1834
In 1834, the fourth part of Brade's "Theoretisch en practisch bouwkundig handboek," specifically on railways, was published, dedicated to William Archibald Bake. It originated after a study trip to England, where he had examined the work on railways. In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway had opened the first intercity connection there. Various infrastructure works had been developed for this, as evidenced by the illustrations of the British architect and lithographer Thomas Talbot Bury from 1831.In the Netherlands, the potential construction of railways was still a practically unexplored area. The country had an extensive network of stagecoaches for passenger transport, and many waterways and towpaths for transporting goods. There was no economic necessity for railway connections, and they were perceived as potentially detrimental to existing economic interests.

Brade had already been involved in the preparations for the first railway line in the Netherlands and recognized that railways were beginning to attract attention across Europe. When he was sent to England to purchase artillery for the war against Belgium, he took the opportunity to study the English railways. He also delved into the general history of railways and published all of this as the fourth part of his Architectural Handbook. Regarding his intention, he wrote in the preface: "We had already made considerable progress in the treatment of canals and locks when iron railways began to attract the attention of all Europe. This prompted us to give them precedence, especially in these times when this mode of transportation is still entirely new, to enlighten our countrymen on this matter, as there has always been a reluctance to embrace innovations in our country, largely due to ignorance and prejudice. Just as was the case with the initial introduction of steam engines, which also faced great opposition at the outset and whose great utility is now acknowledged by everyone, we believed it necessary to prioritize the treatment of iron railways due to the importance of the matter..."

Brade's own plans for a railway connection from Haarlem to Amsterdam were at an advanced stage when the book was published in 1834, but he did not mention this. What was particularly noteworthy about this work, as later recognized, was its explicit advocacy for steam traction instead of horse-drawn propulsion. The work also included calculations of the delivered horsepower, the required amount of fodder or coal, and other costs and benefits of both methods. According to Brade, steam power was a necessary condition to make railway transportation profitable. And indeed, this proved to be the case. The subsequent rise of the horsecar, which he had not foreseen, demonstrated that it was also possible with horsepower.

In 1844, Brade published a separate Handbook of Hydraulic Engineering, in which he already indicated in the subtitle that it provided a description of the "principal canals in the Netherlands, preceded by a historical overview of the canals."

Committee on the Matter of Iron Railways, 1836
In 1834, William Archibald Bake applied for a patent from King William I for a railway from Amsterdam to Cologne, and in 1835, in collaboration with Amsterdam businessmen Louis J.J. Serrurier and Rodolphe le Chevalier, Brade applied for a concession for a railway from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. The King decided to seek further advice before granting the concession. A Royal Decree of February 19, 1836, no. 72, established a commission to investigate the importance and feasibility of constructing and operating railways in the Netherlands. Mr. Anton Reinhard Falck was appointed as chairman, who also acted as secretary, and the members included H. Ewijk, councilor at the Ministry of the Interior, Bernardus Hermanus Goudriaan, chief engineer of Water Management, J.W. Hachmeester Eekhout, Inspector General of Post Offices, Mr. J.F. Netscher, administrator for national industry, P. Hartsen and J.J. Rochussen, chairman and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam, and J.L. Nierstrasz and A. van Rijckevorsel Hzn, chairman and member of the Chamber of Commerce in Rotterdam.

Within the commission, it was Goudriaan who assessed the technical and economic feasibility of the plans. According to Van Royen (1945), Goudriaan made some remarks and reservations:"GOUDRIAAN was van oordeel dat een vervoersgelegenheid, die veel sneller en voor de helft van de vroegere vrachtprijzen zou vervoeren, haar bestaansrecht bewees en als een belangrijke verbetering moest worden beschouwd... De opzet van BRADE, aldus GOUDRIAAN, onderstelt enkel spoor; hij acht echter, bij de verwachting van zo talrijke passagiers, 'dubbeld spoor' een vereiste. Het is de eerste keer, dat men met dit begrip wordt geconfronteerd. Hij adviseert dan van de ingenieur BRADE een nader uitgewerkt plan met cijfers te vragen, waarop het ontwerp kan worden beoordeeld...'"The commission concluded that, despite the presence of good roads and waterways in the Netherlands, railways should indeed be constructed, but this should be left to private initiative. Only in extremely rare cases, of which the commission believed one existed concerning the Amsterdam-Arnhem railway line, should the government undertake construction. The report was completed on April 19, 1836, and submitted to the king on April 28.

Already on June 1, 1836, the concession for the Amsterdam-Haarlem railway line was granted. As further private initiative was not forthcoming, the government submitted a bill on February 28, 1838, to realize the construction of the Amsterdam-Arnhem railway line. However, this bill was rejected by the Second Chamber. More than a year after the concession was granted, on August 8, 1837, the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM) was founded in Amsterdam as a public limited company, the first Dutch railway company. The articles of association stipulated a share capital of 1,300,000 Dutch guilders divided into 1,300 shares of 1,000 guilders each. The articles consisted of 37 articles, beginning with:"ART. 1. Deze Maatschappij heeft ten doel het daarstellen en gebruiken van eenen Yzeren-Spoorweg van Amsterdam tot Haarlem, op den voet en de voorwaarden van de in den hoofde dezes omschreven aan de Heeren LOUIS JAN JACOB SERRURIER, RODOLPHE LE CHEVALIER en WILLEM CHRISTIAAN BRADE verleende concessie.

ART. 2. Onverminderd het even aangeduide doel zal, bijaldien daartoe van den Koning vergunning wordt verkregen, de Yzeren-Spoorweg door de Maatschappij kunnen worden voortgezet, tot Leyden, den Haag, Delft en Rotterdam, op zoodanigen voet en voorwaarden als bij de nadere te verkrijgene vergunning zal worden vastgesteld, terwijl voor dat geval het hier onder volgende tiende Artikel dezer Statuten van toepassing zijn zal."From the first two articles, it can already be seen that the company was established for the construction of the railway line from Amsterdam to Haarlem. Additionally, an extension of the line is planned to reach Leiden, The Hague, Delft, and Rotterdam, forming the railway line Amsterdam - Rotterdam.

The first railway track that the HSM actually constructed was the line from Amsterdam to Haarlem, which was opened to the public on September 20, 1839. It reached Leiden in 1842, The Hague in 1843, and Delft and Rotterdam in 1847. This line is also known as the Old Line. The construction of the section between The Hague and Rotterdam was delayed due to a dispute with a landowner, as described in Van der Gaag Lane

At the outset, Brade owned 2 out of the 1240 shares, and was one of the more than 150 shareholders listed in the articles of association. Towards the end of 1837, a second share issue took place, through which the company raised an additional 5.2 million guilders.

Design of the Amsterdam-Haarlem line
With the establishment of the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij on August 8, 1837, Brade was appointed as chief engineer. In this capacity, he drafted the initial designs for the Amsterdam - Rotterdam railway and supervised the construction until his resignation at the end of 1838.

About three-quarters of a year later, on September 20, 1839, the first train of the HIJSM departed from Station d'Eenhonderd Roe near Amsterdam bound for Haarlem (see image). The journey took 50 minutes to complete.

According to Lintsen (1997), the further course of events showed that this first railway line in the Netherlands "proved to be a resounding success - the transportation demand was much greater than anticipated - and the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij immediately prepared to construct the remainder of the projected line."

Design of the Amsterdam-Rotterdam line
In the first two years of his employment, Brade had already produced several designs for the route from Haarlem to Leiden, which Frederik Willem Conrad Jr.then adapted to his own ideas. Regarding one of the initial designs, Lintsen (1997) summarized:

After encountering the raised issues, Brade devised an alternative design:

Dutch Central Railway Company
Brade's expertise remained appreciated in later years, and he continued to be involved in railway development in the Netherlands. In 1858, he was once again involved when the Dutch Central Railway Company applied for a provisional concession for the Utrecht - Kampen railway. This concession was granted on August 14, 1858, but he did not live to see it.

Appreciation
Brade built a certain reputation as co-founder of the first railway company in the Netherlands and designer of the first two railway lines in the country. However, his forced resignation from the Artillery and Engineering School in Delft following allegations of homosexual behavior, and his forced resignation as chief engineer at the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij, make him a controversial figure. Veenendaal (2015) comments on this latter aspect:

In response to his dismissal, Brade wrote a Memorandum at the time. In an initial legal proceeding, Brade was initially vindicated, but this decision was reversed on appeal. Later, Brade worked on plans for improving the water supply in Amsterdam, among many other projects, and remained involved behind the scenes in railway development in the Netherlands.

Some biographical information seems to be missing from the major biographical works. However, the name of W.C. Brade continues to appear as a 19th-century planner and/or visionary individual. In the painted portrait of Brade by Jan Willem Pieneman, he is appropriately depicted with some maps. What is striking about this person is that there is a lack of any royal decorations, which are usually present in such portraits.