Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (April 9, 1806 – September 15, 1859) was a British engineer. An important figure in the history of engineering, he was noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, and important bridges. Though they were not always successful, his projects often contained innovative solutions to longstanding engineering problems. He generated much publicity for his endeavours and his achievements are still widely celebrated today.

The Great Western Railway

In the meantime, Brunel moved on. In 1833 he was appointed engineer of the Great Western Railway, one of the wonders of Victorian Britain. Running from London to Bristol (and a few years later, to Exeter), the Great Western contained a series of impressive achievements — viaducts, stations, and tunnels — that ignited the imagination of the technically minded Britons of the age. Brunel soon became one of the most famous men in Britain on the back of this interest.

Related Topics:
1833 - Great Western Railway - Victorian - London - Bristol - Exeter

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Brunel made the controversial choice of using broad gauge of 7 ft 0.25 in (2140 mm) for the line, even though almost all British railways to date had used a gauge of 4 ft 8.5 in. Brunel said that this was nothing more than a carry-over from the mine railways George Stephenson had worked on prior to making the world's first passenger railway. Brunel worked out through mathematics and a series of trials that his broader gauge was the optimum railway size for providing stability and a comfortable ride to passengers (in addition to allowing for bigger carriages). The British government later however made the decision that there should be a standard gauge for all railways in the country. Despite Brunel's proof that his broad gauge was the better the decision was made to go with Stephenson's narrow gauge — mainly because they had already covered a far greater amount of the country with their railways than Brunel had and the cost of changing these tracks to conform to Brunel's standard would be enormous.

Related Topics:
Broad gauge - George Stephenson - Standard gauge

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