Career
Born in Penpont he came to Kilmarnock at age 20, where he lived until his death (obituary 1904). He built, in 1869, two versions of a two-wheeled velocipede with levers and rods tossing a crank on the rear wheel (English Mechanic 5/14/1869 and 6/11/1869). This was a reaction to the French velocipedes, of the mid-1860s, with their front-wheel pedal cranks.
In fact, this rear-wheel idea occupied seven more inventors in that year (Lessing 1991).
Skeptics allege that the reason McCall built a replica of his machines to be exhibited as MacMillan"s at the 1896 Stanley Show, at the behest of Johnston, can only be a need of money (Clayton 1987). That alleged replica is now at Dumfries Observatory.