ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL is a British engineer who left a indelible mark in British Civil Engineering. He played a pivotal role in the construction of tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships. He built one of the first major railway routes Great Western Railway. This railway was built to connect London with the west of England which was later came to be known as "God's Wonderful Railway".
BIOG:
Born: 09/04/1806
Died: 15/09/1859
Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
Projects: Great Western Railway, SS Great Britain, Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Awards and Achievements: Elected as fellow of the Royal Society in 1830.
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY
Motivated in his childhood by the railway capacity to transport goods, he opted for railway engineering. In 1833, he was appointed as a chief engineer of great western railway which was formed in the same year. he made notable contributions in the construction and also made controversial decisions like opting for broad gauge instead of standard gauge for the construction of railways.
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| Brunel |
BIOG:
Born: 09/04/1806
Died: 15/09/1859
Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
Projects: Great Western Railway, SS Great Britain, Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Awards and Achievements: Elected as fellow of the Royal Society in 1830.
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY
Motivated in his childhood by the railway capacity to transport goods, he opted for railway engineering. In 1833, he was appointed as a chief engineer of great western railway which was formed in the same year. he made notable contributions in the construction and also made controversial decisions like opting for broad gauge instead of standard gauge for the construction of railways.
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| image source: wikimedia Reconstruction of Brunel's atmospheric railway, using a segment of the original piping at Didcot railway centre |
The work for which Brunel is probably best remembered is his construction of a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts for the Great Western Railway. In 1833, he was appointed their chief engineer and work began on the line that linked London to Bristol. Impressive achievements during its construction included the viaducts at Hanwell and Chippenham, the Maidenhead Bridge, the Box Tunnel and Bristol Temple Meads Station. Brunel is noted for introducing the broad gauge in place of the standard gauge on this line. While working on the line from Swindon to Gloucester and South Wales he devised the combination of tubular, suspension and truss bridge to cross the Wye at Chepstow. This design was further improved in his famous bridge over the Tamar at Saltash near Plymouth.
Quotes:
"...my profession is after all my only fit wife..."
Civil Scholar is a Blog by Aravind Samala on Construction, Environment, Technology, Trends and Innovation.