J and C Carmichael

The brothers were the sons of George Carmichael (d.1786), a Glasgow spirit dealer on the Saltmarket who later became a Glasgow baillie. On the father's death the mother moved to Pentland in Midlothian and apprenticed the boys to her brother, Mr Umpherston, as millwrights. James then went to work at the ASdelphi Spinning Works in Glasgow and Charles worked first in Loanhead then moved to Dundee, encouraging James to join him in 1810.[1]

In 1821 they made their first steam engine. This powered the ferry from Dundee to Woodhaven.

James became a Burgess of Dundee in 1822.[1]

Early work included weighbridges, turbines and marine engineering. In 1823, the company supplied an engine reversing gear, for the steamer George IV, which could be operated from the deck. Other products included fan blowers for forges and furnaces and machines for planing, shaping and boring.

In 1833, the company built two steam locomotives, Earl of Airlie and Lord Wharncliffe, for the Dundee and Newtyle Railway. These had the unusual wheel arrangement of 0-2-4 and used vertical cylinders, driving through bell cranks.

In the 1840s Charles lived at 1 Sommerville Place and James lived at 6 Fleuchar Craig.[2]

Charles Carmichael died on 13 May 1843 and James Carmichael died on 14 August 1853. After this, the business was continued by their sons (James the son of Charles and David the son of James) and took the name James Carmichael and Company. It became a limited company in about 1894. The business closed in 1929.[3][4]

A statue to James Carmichael by John Hutchison was erected in Albert Square in Dundee city centre in 1876.