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Isambard Kingdom Brunel | Daniel Gooch | The Great Western Train | The Great Western Railway Company
Painting of Paddington Station | Railway Gauge (Track Width)

ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was born in Portsmouth on 9th April, 1806. He went to school at Hove, near Brighton and in Paris. In 1823 Brunel went to work with his father on the building of a tunnel underneath the Thames . By 1833, he had designed Monkwearmouth Docks near Bristol, and similar docks at Plymouth, Cardiff, Brentford and Milford Haven.

In March 1833, the 27 year old Isambard Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the Great Western Railway. This railway was built to link London and Bristol. The building of the line made Brunel famous. He designed for it the viaducts at Hanwell and Chippenham, the Maidenhead Bridge, the Box Tunnel and the Bristol Temple Meads Station.

Brunel used the broad gauge (2.2 m) instead of the standard gauge (1.55m) on the line. So the Great Western's tracks were wider than any other rail company's tracks. This created problems. Passengers had to change trains at places such as Gloucester where the two kinds of tracks met.

Brunel persuaded the Great Western Railway Company to let him build a steam ship to travel from Bristol to New York. This ship was called " The Great Western" and made its first voyage in 1838. Over the next eight years it made 60 journeys.It was the largest steamship built at that time. Brunel built two more famous steamships, the " Great Britain " and the " Great Eastern".

While watching the Great Eastern in her trials on 5th January, 1858, Brunel had a heart attack. He died ten days later and was buried at Kensal Green cemetery on 20th September, 1859.

DANIEL GOOCH

Daniel Gooch was born in Northumberland, on 24th August, 1816. Gooch met George Stephenson when only a young boy. George Stevenson had invented the steam train. As soon as he was old enough, Gooch became an engineer at the locomotive factory owned by Edward Pease and Robert Stephenson in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

At the age of twenty-one, Gooch was put in charge of the trains belonging to the Great Western Railway. Gooch took advantage of the broad gauge (wider track ) adopted by Isambard Brunel, the chief engineer at the company. His locomotives travelled at much faster speeds than those made previously. Gooch's locomotives could haul a large load at 60 mph (96 kph). In all, Gooch designed 340 locomotives, including the Iron Duke and the Great Western.

Daniel Gooch worked for the Great Western Railway for twenty-seven years but in 1864 he resigned to concentrate on developing telegraphic communication. In the 1865 General Election Daniel Gooch was elected as MP for Cricklade.

Later that year, when the Great Western Company began to lose money, Gooch agreed to return as chairman. Gooch successfully saved the company. As chairman of the company he fully supported Brunel's proposal to build the steamship, the Great Western. He continued as chairman of the Great Western Company and in 1886 was responsible for the Severn Tunnel project.

Daniel Gooch died at Clewer Park, Berkshire on 15th October, 1889. He is buried in St. Andrews Church, Clewer, near Windsor.

THE "GREAT WESTERN" (TRAIN)

When Daniel Gooch was in charge of the trains belonging to the Great Western Railway he was told to produce a "colossal locomotive that should easily surpass anything that had gone before". This means a very large train, better than anything else which had been built. He designed "The Great Western". Shortly after it was completed in 1846 the "Great Western" travelled the 53 miles from Paddington to Didcot in 47 minutes, therefore achieving an average speed of 67 mph.

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY

In March 1833, the 27 year old Isambard Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the Great Western Railway. The idea was to build a railway that would link London and Bristol.

The first section of the track that went from London to Taplow (Maidenhead) was opened in 1838. The line was completed to Bristol in 1841. The Great Western Railway was the first to install electric telegraph alongside its line.

The building of the London to Bristol line helped to make Isambard Brunel famous. He built on the route the viaducts at Hanwell and Chippenham, the Maidenhead Bridge, the Box Tunnel and the Bristol Temple Meads Station.

Brunel used the broad gauge (2.2 m) instead of the standard gauge (1.55m) on the line. This means that he made the tracks wider than on other railways.

Swindon was about halfway between London and Bristol and was chosen as the junction for the line to Gloucester. Swindon was also the site of the Great Western Locomotive Works.

Daniel Gooch was put in charge of locomotive production. Gooch was told by the company to produce a train bigger and better than any other. He built the "Great Western" that could travel at an average speed of 67 mph. It has been said that "while Brunel built the Great Western, Gooch made it work".

By 1844 the Great Western Railway had opened a new line from Bristol to Exeter and from Bristol to Gloucester. The Birmingham & Gloucester line had narrower tracks. This created problems as passengers and goods had to change from one train to another. One of the consequences of using the broad gauge was that Great Western locomotives could not use Euston Station and Brunel had to build its own station at Paddington. This was not completed until 1854.

WILLIAM POWELL FRITH

William Powell Frith was the son of domestic servants. He was born in Alfield in 1819.He trained as an artist.

In 1862, he painted "The Railway Station" (1862). This shows Paddington Station. The people in it include a bride and groom, a boy going to boarding school, holiday makers and a criminal being arrested by two policemen.

William Powell Frith died in 1909.

RAILWAY GAUGE

( This means the width of the tracks )

When George Stephenson was building the Stockton & Darlington Railway he decided the rail gauge should be just over 4 ft 8 ins (1.44m). The reason for this was that was the width of the wagonway at Killingworth Colliery. However, after Stephenson had made this decision, other railway chief engineers followed his example and used the same rail gauge.

When Isambard Brunel was building the London to Bristol line in 1838 he decided to use what became known as the broad gauge (2.2 m) instead of the standard gauge (1.44m) on the line. Brunel argued that by using a wider track, he could provide larger and faster locomotives. It was also pointed out by Brunel that the wider track was safer and that locomotives would be less likely to leave the rails on sharp bends. By 1844 the Great Western Railway had opened a new line from Bristol to Exeter and from Bristol to Gloucester . The Birmingham & Gloucester line had narrow tracks. This created problems as passengers and goods had to be transferred from one train to another.

In 1845 a Royal Commission looked into the subject of the railway gauge. There was long investigation; committee members asked railway engineers over 6,500 questions. It was decided to recommend the use of the standard gauge ( narrower track). The Gauge Act passed by Parliament in 1846 made the standard gauge compulsory for all new railways. However, the Great Western Railway kept its wide track until 1892, when it was converted to the standard gauge.