| Brunel was appointed engineer to many of the Great Western Railway’s allied lines, including the Cornwall Railway. To link it with the rest of the network he had to build a bridge across the River Tamar – one of the biggest engineering challenges of the age. The bridge had to be supported 80 feet below mean sea level, with a giant cylinder floated out and sunk onto the rock; the bridge’s two 455-foot spans were built on the shore, floated into position, then jacked up by a few feet per day until they reached the right level. Brunel’s bridge is still in railway service, and remains one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of bridge design. |
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