Broad Gauge Railways

The history of Brunel's great brainchild, the ingenious but ultimately abortive 7ft ¼in railway gauge, which formed the basis of the Great Western Railway.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel contributed many groundbreaking features to the Great Western Railway. None was so unorthodox as the decision not to adopt the ‘standard’ track gauge of 4ft 8½in and instead introduce the new ‘broad gauge’ of 7ft ¼in.

Describing the rationale behind the choice of broad gauge, and also the unique track and locomotives used, this beautifully 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.

It describes how the clash between broad and narrow led to the ‘Battle of the Gauges’ and also provides a list of places to visit where broad gauge artefacts still survive.

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