Brunel: The Great Engineer
£23.49
Recommended retail price: £24.99
Stock type: -
Stock reference: 33.360
£23.49
Recommended retail price: £24.99
Stock type: -
Stock reference: 33.360
There can be few people in Britain who have not heard of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He was one of the truly great engineers, designing and building bridges, tunnels, ships and railways. It is perhaps for his work building the Great Western Railway (GWR) for which he is best known.
Brunel had a vision to link London and New York, by rail across England and then by ship across the Atlantic Ocean. The rail link was to be no ordinary one, it was to be a high speed line, so steep inclines and sharp curves were avoided. For stability a track gauge of a fraction over seven feet was adopted. The high speed route between London Paddington and Bristol temple Meads continues in use today, but laid with standard gauge track.
One of Brunel's ships, the SS Great Britain, is preserved in Bristol after an eventful working life as a ship at sea and a period of long decay as a hulk in the Falkland Islands.
Brunel passed away in 1859 but is appropriately commemorated by a statue on Paddington Station and by having his name emblazoned on the Royal Saltash Bridge over the River Tamar. This book is an illustrated account of the work of this great British engineer.
Author Tim Bryan
Illustrated
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