Why the end of the gauge war didn’t standardise Britain’s railway
The battle to establish a standard gauge between the rails across Britain ended 129 years ago. So why do we...
The Box Tunnel – Brunel builds the impossible
The Box Tunnel in Wiltshire is one of our finest Victorian structures. It’s also one of the railway’s greatest triumphs....
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The Architecture the Railways Built – Royal Albert Bridge
The Royal Albert Bridge - Isambard Kingdom Brunel's masterpiece - stars in the brand-new The Architecture the Railways Built. Historian and presenter Tim Dunn visits the world-famous bridge, which crosses the River Tamar between Plymouth and...
From the archive: Brunel and Stephenson’s Christmas in Cairo
The Network Rail archive is the custodian of a vast collection of historic documents and plans relating to today’s railway infrastructure. It represents the development of the most significant structures, engineers and innovation on the railway from...
Film: The Railway at War – 1939-1945
"The railway was crucial in WWII ... keeping the heart of Britain going." This year marks 75 years since the end of WWII, in which the railway played a crucial role, and for which we...
Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday – a nursing pioneer’s links with Brunel
Florence Nightingale - a pioneering nurse with links to revolutionary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel - was born 200 years ago today. Nightingale is famous for her ground-breaking work in dramatically improving healthcare in Victorian times,...
VE Day – The railway in WWII
The rail industry has come together on the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day to say thank you to everyone who served and sacrificed during WWII. The railway played a crucial role during the...
From the archive: war memorials
The Network Rail archive is the custodian of a vast collection of historic documents and plans relating to today’s railway infrastructure. It represents the development of the most significant structures, engineers and innovation on the railway from...
From the archive: Ada Lovelace
The Network Rail archive is the custodian of a vast collection of historic documents and plans relating to today’s railway infrastructure. It represents the development of the most significant structures, engineers and innovation on the railway from...
From the archive: Brunel
The Network Rail archive is the custodian of a vast collection of historic documents and plans relating to today’s railway infrastructure. It represents the development of the most significant structures, engineers and innovation on the railway from...