GERSTNER, Franz Anton Ritter von

After completing studies at the Polytechnic Institute in Prague, where his father Franz Josef →G. taught, G. was already at the age of 21 appointed full professor of practical geometry at the Polytechnic Institute in Vienna. In 1821, he on his father's recommendation got the contract for the construction of horse-drawn railway line between Češke Budjevice and Mauthausn on the Danube. The project occupied him for the next ten years. Knowledge that he gained from the study trip to England in 1822 encouraged him to base his route study of the »Iron Road» on the latest discoveries. He refused the field copying with »lost descent« method, which was of low cost, but also time-consuming. In September 1824 he received a 50-year franchise for the construction of railways which he resigned by 12th April 1825 to a joint-stock company, established by the Vienna wholesale merchants Geymüller, Stametz and his sons. Namely, he accepted the post of head of the construction with the first Imperial royal privileged Railway Company (K.k. Erste Privilegierte Eisenbahngesellschaft).
G. used his spare time in winter 1826/27 for a study trip to England, where he underwent the start of the winning march of the steam locomotive made by George Stephenson and he strengthen the belief in the accuracy of his plans. The construction of stone walls within the railway embankment that his father proposed in order to increase load capacity proved to be a big mistake. As a result, the construction was more expensive and G. was attacked by several parties and had to defend himself against the shareholders. In June 1828 they made a written request that he should transfer management responsibilities to his engineers, especially Matthias Schönerer. In February 1829 he published several works in his defence, yet failed to get his old job back.
After termination of the agreement he devoted himself to development of railways and left for England again. When he returned to Prague, he for several years published his father's collected lectures.
In 1830s he travelled to Russia because he won the bid for construction of St. Petersburg-Zarskoe Selo and Pawlowsk railway. At the end of 1835 he was given the privilege of constructing this railway line, which was opened on 30th October 1837. Due to disagreements with clients he again left the country. He travelled from Russia to the Czech Republic and with his second wife to the USA in 1838. There he began designing railway lines, which had not been built yet. He died on 12 April 1840 in Philadelphia.