In the late 1880s Thomas Forth Rotheram was Locomotive Superintendent for New Zealand Railways. He later became Chief Mechanical Engineer for West Australia Government Railways. He is buried in Perth, Western Australia.

According to his grandson, Dennis Everton of Auckland, New Zealand: "Thomas Forth Rotheram ... was born in York 1850, came to NZ 1875, then to Australia 1900 ... . He died there 1903. His parents were John Wilkinson Rotheram (d. Manchester 1901) and Mary Forth Rotheram; we believe he had 3 sisters, Elizabeth (m. Charles Spencer Rotheram, her cousin), Isabella (m. John Boyden) & Annie. We don't know of any others, but there may be some." [Information taken from guestbook, 20.12.2002. Thanks, Dennis.]