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High Speed Railway
edit(from Oct 2019)
[[GWR#A high-speed railway
Brunel's railway was designed from the outset to have speed as it's prime consideration. His route/ the r he surveyed followed the valley of the Thames, and aimed to keep the /stay as flat as possible; between London and Didcot the ruling gradient is no more than 1:1320, and is referred to as Brunel's billiard table. This flat road was achieved by a generous use of engineering works, such as cuttings, bridges and viaducts. From Didcot to Swindon the gradient is still no more than 1:660, m which Brunel accomplished by avoiding the climb over the Marlborough Downs, despite a lack of large towns to be serviced by the railway. This wide detour became /and earned the GWR the nickname the Great Way Round.
Another concession to high speed was the choice of a wider than usual gauge, Brunel's broad gauge of 7ft (increased later to 7ft 0 ¼ in, to overcome adhesion problems), allowing for a smoother ride and the buiding of more powerful locomotives. The choice of a longitudinal railbed, known as a baulk road, was again to ensure a smoother ride at speed.
The expectation of high speed also made advanced signalling /better than usual and the GWR led the way in developing advanced sig. And braking.
These innovations enabled the GWR to achieve and maintain average speeds that were double those of its rivals; while the LNER was/ averaged 25mph on its main route, the GWR trains were averaging 50 mph. In the 1840's/1848 during the gauge trials, GWR's 'Great Britain' achieved an average speed of 70mph between London and Didcot, setting a land speed record that was not matched for … years.
The high speed nature of the GWR's main line has meant that, 150 years later, it was suitable for the introduction of British Rail's Intercity 125 (the High-Speed Train) with relatively little modification, and Brunel's design choices/solutions are familiar to the designers of high speed rail networks today.
- Sources
- Frank Booker (1977, ed 1980) The Great Western Railway, David & Charles ISBN| 0 7153 7455 9 (Dewey 385.094.2)
- Geoffrey Williams (2000) Stars of Steam, Atlantic Transport Pubs ISBN 0 906899 84 2 (Dewey 385.361.0922)
+Patrick Whitehouse, David St John Thomas (eds) (1984) The Great Western Railway: 150 Glorious Years, David & Charles ISBN (none)
- Martin Hedges (ed) (1980) 150 Years of British Railways, WH Smith/Hamlyn Pubs ISBN 0 600 37655 9
- Guild of Railway Artists (1985) The Great Western Collection, Blandford Press ISBN (none)