LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: Great Western Railway
built 627 days ago
Even before the Great Western Railway was opened, Brunel was moving on to his next project – transatlantic shipping. He used his prestige to convince his railway company employers to build the Great Western, at the time by far the largest steamship in the world. It first sailed in 1837 -. 236 ft long, and built of wood, she was powered by sail and paddlewheels, and the first return trip to New York took just twenty-nine days, compared to two months for an average sail ship. In total, seventy-four crossings to New York were made. The Great Britain followed in 1843; much larger at 322 ft long, it was the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean[20].
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Brunel persuaded the Great Western Railway Company to let him build a steam ship to travel from Bristol to New York. The Great Western made its first voyage to New York in 1838. At that time the largest steamship in existence was 208 feet long, whereas the Great Western was 236 feet long. The journey to America took fifteen days and over the next eight years made 60 crossings.
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Brunel threatened to withdraw his application and by a margin of one vote Brunel was appointed to make the survey. It took him three months and he estimated the cost of building the railway at £2,800,000. On the second attempt, the Great Western Railway Act was passed and received Royal Assent on 31st August 1835. Previous railway Acts had stipulated a gauge of 4ft 8 1/2 inches, which was based on the gauge of the tramways, Brunel helped get the GWR Act passed with no mention at all of the track gauge. This enable him to use the wider, and in most cases better, 7ft gauge.
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One of Brunel's greatest achievements was the design and construction of theLondon-to-Bristol rail line, which became know as the Great Western Railway (GWR). It was noted for its low grades, low-arch bridges and its two-mile tunnel. He gave the tracks a 7-foot gauge to give the trains better stability. Although the rail system was later converted to conform to England's standard 4feet, 8 1/2 inch rail gauge, the "gauge war" Brunel prompted helped spur innovations in England's locomotive industry.
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In 1832 Bristol decided it needed a rail link to London if it was not to lose trade to Liverpool and appointed Brunel as engineer. The 110 mile broad gauge line was completed in 1841. The Great Western Railway was to share a terminus at Euston with the London and Birmingham Railway but had a temporary terminus at Bishops Road until 1854 when Paddington, designed by Brunel and Matthew Digby Wyatt was opened. By the side entrance on platform 1 is a statue of Brunel by John Doubleday commissioned by the Bristol & West Building Society. Part of the current redevelopment of Paddington involves the replacement of the Bishops Road Bridge with a new 5 lane structure. However as the old bridge was being dismantled an iron bridge across the Grand Union Canal was found within it. This matched sketches and notes in Brunel's private notebooks showing it to have been his first iron bridge.
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Description: Brunel stands in front of the giant iron chains of the 'Great Eastern' during her construction at Millwall. Brunel was one of the greatest, most innovative and self-publicising engineers of the 19th century. He was responsible for many large engineering projects including the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Paddington Station and the Great Western Railway, with its many bridges, tunnels and viaducts. He ... constructed three very important ships: the 'Great Britain', the 'Great Western', and the vast 'Great Eastern'.
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Great Western Railway