Brunel's Big Railway: Creation of the Great Western Railway

by Robin Jones

Engineering genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway was not only bigger, wider and faster than any other of its day, but linked London to New York via his great steamships from Bristol. His unique broad gauge 'super railway' also connected Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance, and for decades was one of the wonders of the world. More than two centuries on, many of his historic structures along the route have been given listed building protection so future generations can admire and enjoy them.

This book looks at the history of the railway from London to Bristol and Brunel's Great Western legacy that was to lead the company to even dizzier heights.

Genres: History

250 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2013

Reviews

[Soubresaut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 2021 edition with too many typos and dedicated to a cat, is a straightforward recitation of events and titbits which ultimately runs out of steam, branching out from “Creation of the Great Western Railway” into the realm of steamships, nationalisation, privatisation, and HS2 - there’s even a detour into the Barbary slave trade. How many times can Brunel be described as a genius? Not enough apparently. True, his mistakes are mentioned (he couldn’t design locomotive engines or create a working atmospheric railway) but his arrogance is presented as a singleminded virtue. Bristol chose Brunel and Brunel chose the broad gauge for the wealthy passengers - it turns out against the interests of the railway proprietors who footed the extravagant bill, the travelling poor who were effectively barred until legislation intervened and the public at large who were disconnected from the rest of the country. The marginal gains in top end speed and voluminous carriages were meaningless in the real world but a marketing dream which still works its magic on Great Western gricers. If you don’t know anything about early railways but want to, you could start your journey with this slim volume but there’s no map so you’ll need an atlas on your lap as well.