Felix Caldwell
by Jim Longworth, May 2025
Felix Caldwell was born on 10 April 1879. He did not do well at school; but was able to secure an apprenticeship and study at night classes.
He got his first job as an apprentice fitter and erector working for James Martin Co. Ltd., engineers and iron founders, of Gawler in 1897. His workmanship was excellent. He carried out instructions with care, was trustworthy, and courteous to the other workmen. He finished in June 1903 and left to better himself.
Felix studied mechanical engineering at the Gawler School of Mines and sat for the examinations which were administered through the Adelaide School of Mines and Industries. In 1901 he was awarded a Third class pass in Elementary Machine Design, and the following examination results in 1902: Mechanical Engineering I – Third class; Advanced Machine Design – Second class; Advanced Mechanical Drawing – First class.
Moving to NSW, he found work as a Mechanical Engineer at the Great Cobar mines during 1904 and 1905, finishing in December of that year. His work gave every satisfaction. About 1906 Norman Caldwell, Felix’s brother, was farming in Western Australia and had the idea that tractors for farm work, itself a novelty then, should have all four wheels driven. After many months of study and experiment, the brothers developed a satisfactory method of driving and steering all four wheels of any type of vehicle, which was patented. They made two notable prototypes, one a 4 wheel drive - 4 wheel steer tractor/plough which was demonstrated during 1909, and the other a 4 wheel drive - 4 wheel steer motor truck.
Returning to South Australia, he worked for JH Horwood & Co, Ltd, engineers, machinery merchants, well borers and irrigation experts, of Adelaide. As a fitter, turner, and draftsman he proved himself as an intelligent and conscientious workman of more than average ability. The firm was later merged into Horwood Bagshaw. Felix left of his own accord in July 1907 to enter business himself.
To produce their road tractors on a commercial basis would require access to a specially equipped workshop. The brothers set about forming a company, resulting in a company in Sydney, late in 1910, with a capital of £6,000. The principals of the firm took an active part in building each machine that was produced. Felix and Norman’s infant company started production in a small workshop occupying a corner of the H Vale & Son’s engineering work’s site in Auburn.
During 1910, the Caldwell brothers combined with Vale & Sons to form Caldwell-Vale Motor & Tractor Construction Co Ltd. In December 1910, Caldwell-Vale Motor & Tractor Construction Co Ltd, with a capital of £6,000, divided into 120 shares of £50 each, acquired the Caldwell tractor, etc from Caldwell Bros. The first directors were: FJ Vale; DJ Malone; and F Caldwell. Felix acted as both company Manager and Secretary. Norman seems to have severed his legal association with the company around this time, while Felix remained as Manager and Designing Engineer.
Felix was not the first person to apply internal combustion motive power to an Australian locomotive. However, probably his greatest claim to engineering history fame was seeing the internal-combustion form of motive power to have potential for wide-spread commercial application on light industrial railways, often of a narrow gauge. Finally, Felix completed what he called a light ‘Rail Tractor’ with the all-wheel-drive principle applied, not only through coupling all wheels together; but through fitting so-called ‘Friction Wheels’ or ‘Gripping Wheels’ to the central axle. These friction wheels consisted of two discs which could be forced down onto the head of the rail, with one on each side of the head, so gripping it so increasing friction. His vision was realised with several locomotives being supplied to 2ft gauge sugar cane lines and a couple of standard gauge locomotives.
In addition to locomotives, about 50 four-wheel drive road trucks, selling at about £1,250 each, were produced. This high price was apparently justified by their capacity to haul 24-ton loads at 5¼ mph over clay roads by virtue of their four-wheel drive. Around 1912 an engineer with the company, Alfred George Harriss, took a fleet of Caldwell-Vale tractors to Longreach, to work for the Australian Pastoral Company in general carrying and especially carrying bales of wool. The 332-mile long return trip from Longreach to Warbreckan and back took eight days of actual running time. Fuel consumption was 360gallons of heavy benzene.
Felix also built a 30 hp open touring car using four-wheel steering combined with four-wheel drive. It can claim to have predated the famous Willys Jeep as a 4-wheel drive cross-country all terrain passenger carrying car. The car was capable of astounding feats in sand and mud. Skidding would be an absolute impossibility. It ran on Pratt’s and Gargoyle Mobiloil.
During 1912, two road tractors were supplied to The United Silver Mines (No Liability), which operated a mine at Lawn Hill, 110 miles from Burketown, North Queensland. The trucks repeatedly broke down and failed to meet company expectations, so it took Caldwell-Vale Motor and Tractor Construction Co Ltd to court. Caldwell lost, which traumatised Felix. He didn’t think the judgement was fair. Given Caldwell’s minimal understanding of the road environment that the trucks would be operating in and the mine site’s remoteness the mining company was expecting too much. The Caldwell family was living at Kissing Point on the Parramatta River. However, Felix became too sick to work, so the family relocated to 201 Belmore Road, Coogee, where his wife took in boarders to enable the family to earn a living. In 1922, Felix applied for a United States patent for a new and improved ‘Gradometer’ to visibly indicate the grade, up or down, on which a vehicle was standing or travelling. The patent was granted.
Gradually Felix recovered, whereupon he was able to secure a position on the Sydney City Railway construction as Workshop Manager. He was described as capable, energetic, trustworthy, and sober, who handled men well. Felix worked there for about 14 months, leaving in June 1918 to enable him to immediately take up a position with Kidman & Mayoh, ship builders, at Kissing Point on the Parramatta River. The work was for the war effort so was seen to be urgent. His starting salary would be £6/-/- per week for the first three months, increasing to £7/-/- per week thereafter, and he was required to live at the shipyard. Sidney Kidman, Joseph Mayoh, and Arthur Mayoh had entered into a contract with the commonwealth government to construct six four-masted wooden auxiliary cargo barquentines, later reduced to two the BRAESIDE and BURNSIDE. During 1921, the government cancelled its contract and began legal proceedings against Kidman & Mayoh.
Amongst the unhappy demise of the shipbuilding work, Felix left the firm, and moved to Arthur Leplastrier & Co, machinery merchants and engineers, of Circular Quay. He worked there as Draftsman and Works Superintendent leaving in November 1921. Next, he moved to the firm of Armstrong-Holland, engineers and machinery merchants, where on 16 February 1922 he was offered the position of Manager. His salary was to be £400 per annum plus a 5% bonus on the net profits of the company. Much of what the company sold was under licence from overseas companies. Felix fitted right in, and the family moved to Strathfield.
Norman had another of his good ideas – build a dragline for excavating water supply dams and tanks in SA. He convinced Felix to join with him and move to Murray Bridge. They established a workshop there and built a prototype dragline, which was relocated to Port Augusta, where the family lived in a local hotel. During July 1925, a party of pastoralists and others interested in pastoral pursuits inspected the work being done on Hawker Brothers’ ‘Carriewerloo’ run and were favourably impressed by the rapid and easy manner in which the work was done. Felix’s wife received advice that her mother was extremely sick, so they relocated once more, this time back to Sydney to care for her. Armstrong-Holland approached him on 6 March 1926, offering to find a suitable niche for him. Felix accepted the offer, and worked as Manager, Designing Engineer, and the firm’s representative on important jobs. Unfortunately, due to the Great Depression Armstrong-Holland could no longer retain his services, as from 19 September 1930. In running his own business, he provided frequent consulting engineering advice. The family lived at No. 34 Burwood Rd, Burwood.
Next, he entered into partnership with a John William Newton to run a business known as Caldwell Engineering (Australia), operating out of No.11 Brompton Street, Marrickville, but it was dissolved on 30 May 1932 by mutual consent. Felix returned to designing narrow gauge internal combustion locomotives for industrial use.
His next invention of note was a mechanical excavator loader long before such machines were marketed as complete units. The patent specification described it as: ‘Improvements in or relating to apparatus for excavating, shovelling, loading, and suchlike of transportable material’, and was accepted in March 1941. The US Patent Office granted Patent No. 2,468,542 on 26 April 1949.
Felix had married Lillian King on 29 November 1913. They had two daughters Walvyn and Lillian. Walvyn was a made-up feminisation of the masculine name of Walter. He was sometimes nick-named ‘Phil’. Retiring at an early age he resided at Polding Road, Lindfield; 26 Kylie Avenue, Killara; and 78 Koola Avenue, East Killara on Sydney’s North Shore. He was remembered by his family as having a den full of papers and making regular train trips into the city to visit the Patent Office. His pioneering engineering mind remained at the fore and he became an inveterate dabbler. He enjoyed swimming, playing competitive indoor bowls, and remained a devout Christian – a good Methodist. He is remembered as a mild mannered and loving man. This unassuming gentleman ran a bath for his wife and perfumed her pillows every day of their married life. Felix died on 5 October 1966, aged 87.
Further Reading
Longworth J, Felix Caldwell the man and his [nearly] forgotten Engineering, 17th National Engineering Heritage Conference, 2013, Canberra.
Longworth J, Caldwell-Vale and Purcell Engineering industrial locomotives – an overview, Part 1, Light Railways, April 2021; Part 2, August 2021.
Longworth J, Caldwell-Vale Motor & Tractor Construction Co Ltd, Vintage Trucks & Commercials Magazine, January-February 2022.
Longworth J, Felix and Norman Caldwell, Part 1, The Old Machinery Magazine, April-May 2022; Part 2, June-July 2022.
Longworth J, Caldwell’s Excavator and Loader, Part 3, The Old Machinery Magazine, August-September 2022. [[Category:South Australia]
