We look back at more than 100 years of Olympics history across London’s railway as Tokyo 2020 officially begins … 1908 – White City London 1908 took place in the shadow of the Franco-British Exhibition, which was considered more noteworthy at the time. As a result, London’s railway companies were more concerned about transport links … Continued
The battle to establish a standard gauge between the rails across Britain ended 129 years ago. So why do we still have variations in track today? The end of the line for Brunel’s broad gauge Paddington to Penzance, the weekend of 20 to 23 May, 1892. Railway workers rip up the last stretch of Isambard … Continued
The Box Tunnel in Wiltshire is one of our finest Victorian structures. It’s also one of the railway’s greatest triumphs. Once completed, it inspired short stories and poems, cementing itself in the minds of the Victorian public as a marvel of the age. Yet there would come backlash. It was labelled as ruinously extravagant. The … Continued
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 Saltash, Cornwall, in the second episode of the new series, which explores the incredible designs around the railway in the UK … Continued
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 the 19th century to the present. Each month we will delve into the archive to shine a light on the … Continued
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, but did you know Brunel had a significant role to play in her progress? Nightingale had reported horrendous conditions for … Continued
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 conflict, including transporting evacuees to safety, moving essential goods around Britain and sending trains to pick up many of the … Continued
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 the 19th century to the present. Each month we will delve into the archive to shine a light on the … Continued
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 the 19th century to the present. Each month we will delve into the archive to shine a light on the … Continued
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 the 19th century to the present. Each month we will delve into the archive to shine a light on the … Continued