Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

CONVERSION OF GAUGE OF G.W.R. MAIN LINE. 109 The master mind of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineer of the Great Western Railway and of many of the once independent lines now forming part of that system, had conceived the idea that the narrow or 4 feet 8| inches gauge, adopted by George the Stockton and Darlington, The Broad Gauge. Stephenson London and Birmingham, and other pioneer railways, was altogether too restricted. His clear perception of the great possibilities of the new system of transport caused him to form the opinion that “ the whole machine was too small for the work to be done,” and ho resolved that the Great Western Railway should be on a scale more commensurate with the mass to be moved and the velocity to be attained. On his advice a 7 feet gauge was adopted as being the best from a scientific point of view, and, therefore, more desirable of attainment than uniformity with other lines. Indeed, he considered that the Great Western, having broken ground in an entirely new district and projected branches in various directions, should permanently secure to itself the whole trade of the south-west of England and that of South. Wales and the south of Ireland, “ not by a forced monopoly which could never long resist the wants of the public, but by such attention to those wants as would render competition unnecessary.” But it must be remembered that in the “ ’thirties ” ideas regarding railways were necessarily crude, and by 1844, when the two gauges first met on an impor- tant traffic highway, the real disadvantage of a change of gauge became apparent. More- over, Parliamentary encouragement of com- petition soon negatived Brunel’s theory of railway territory. This fact, and the Report of a Royal Commission in 1844 that, notwith- standing many recognized advantages in the broad gauge, uniformity was so important that, the narrow gauge mileage being seven- for Disadvantage of the Broad Gauge. Growth of the Narrow Gauge. Brunel’s ideal eighths of the whole, it should be preferred to the broad, clearly indicated that a standard gauge would ultimately be essential. True, the broad track continued to extend for many years after the Gauge Commissioners had reported, reaching not only to Penzance, but also to Milford Haven, Hereford, Worcester, and even Wolverhampton. In 1869, however, the first conversion of Great Western lines was undertaken, and thenceforward, partly by “ mixing ” the gauge —that is, adding a third rail to accommodate both broad and narrow gauge vehicles, and by conversions—the narrow lines were extended through- out the country, until in 1892 was confined to some 423 miles of main and branch line between Paddington and Penzance, of which the portions unprovided with a third rail were between Exeter and Truro and certain branches, having an aggregate length of 170j miles. The existence of this line involved the rail- way company in much labour and expense in the transfer of goods and live vehicles of one gauge to those of the other, while passengers from north to west were com- pelled to change trains, and ' expenses were increased by the maintenance of the third rail and by providing two classes of rolling stock. The commercial development of the country also demanded such a means of transport as would enable passengers and merchandise to pass without inconvenience to and from all parts ; and after much deliberation it was decided in 1891 that the final abolition of the broad gauge should be undertaken during the following year. Of all previous conversions that had been undertaken, that on the lines in Devon and Cornwall was the most exacting, for the rea- son that they consisted chiefly of single track, stock from Need for Narrowing the Broad Gauge.