Broad Gauge Railways

Description

Brunel called his Great Western Railway the ‘finest work in England’ and it certainly contained many special and groundbreaking new features, but none was as unorthodox as the decision to abandon the ‘standard’ track gauge of 4ft 8 1/2in favoured by pioneers like George and Robert Stephenson and instead adopt the new ‘broad gauge’ of 7ft 1/4in. Describing the rationale behind the choice of broad gauge, and also the unique track and locomotives used, this illustrated introduction to broad gauge railways chronicles the building of the original GWR between Bristol and London, and the expansion of that original 112-mile main line into a network stretching across the West of England, Wales, and the Midlands.