In the early part of Brunel's life, the use of railways began to take off as a major means of transport for goods. This influenced Brunel's involvement in railway engineering, including railway bridge engineering.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway In 1833, before the Thames Tunnel was complete, Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the Great Western Railway, one of the wonders of Victorian era|Victorian Britain, running from London to Bristol and later Exeter. The company was founded at a public meeting in Bristol in 1833, and was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1835.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway He surveyed the entire length of the route between London and Bristol himself, with the help of many including his Solicitor Jeremiah Osborne of Bristol Law Firm Osborne Clarke who one occasion rowed Isambard Kingdom Brunel down the River Avon himself to survey the bank of the river for the route.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway Brunel made two controversial decisions: to use a broad gauge of for the track, which he believed would offer superior running at high speeds; and to take a route that passed north of the Marlborough Downs—an area with no significant towns, though it offered potential connections to Oxford and Gloucester—and then to follow the Thames Valley into London
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway Drawing on Brunel's experience with the Thames Tunnel, the Great Western contained a series of impressive achievements—soaring viaducts such as the one in Ivybridge, specially designed stations, and vast tunnels including the Box Tunnel, which was the longest railway tunnel in the world at that time.Dumpleton and Miller (2002), p
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway The initial group of locomotives ordered by Brunel to his own specifications proved unsatisfactory, apart from the GWR Star Class|North Star locomotive, and 20-year-old Daniel Gooch (later Sir Daniel) was appointed as Chief mechanical engineer|Superintendent of Locomotive Engines
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway Brunel's achievements ignited the imagination of the technically minded Britons of the age, and he soon became quite notable in the country on the back of this interest.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway After Brunel's death the decision was taken that standard gauge should be used for all railways in the country
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway The present London Paddington station was designed by Brunel and opened in 1854
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway The great achievement that was the Great Western Railway has been immortalised at Swindon Steam Railway Museum.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Great Western Railway Overall, there were negative views as to how society viewed the railways. Some landowners felt the railways were a threat to amenities or property values and others requested tunnels on their land so the railway could not be seen.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Brunel's atmospheric caper Though unsuccessful, another of Brunel's interesting use of technical innovations was the atmospheric railway, the extension of the Great Western Railway (GWR) southward from Exeter towards Plymouth, England|Plymouth, technically the South Devon Railway Company|South Devon Railway (SDR), though supported by the GWR
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Brunel's atmospheric caper The section from Exeter to Newton (now Newton Abbot) was completed on this principle, and trains ran at approximately .Dumpleton and Miller (2002), p. 22 Pumping stations with distinctive square chimneys were sited at two-mile intervals. Fifteen-inch (381mm) pipes were used on the level portions, and pipes were intended for the steeper gradients.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Brunel's atmospheric caper The technology required the use of leather flaps to seal the vacuum pipes
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Brunel's atmospheric caper The accounts of the SDR for 1848 suggest that atmospheric traction cost 3s 1d (three shillings and one penny) per mile compared to 1s 4d/mile for conventional steam power
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Brunel's atmospheric caper A section of the pipe, without the leather covers, is preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Transatlantic shipping In 1835, before the Great Western Railway had opened, Brunel proposed extending its transport network by boat from Bristol across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City
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