Birmingham Snow Hill Bristol Temple Meads Cardiff General London Paddington Reading General
Route mileage
Mileage shown as at end of year stated[1][2][3][4][5]
1841
171 miles (275 km)
1863
1,106 miles (1,780 km)
1876
2,023 miles (3,256 km)
1899
2,504 miles (4,030 km)
1919
2,996 miles 68 chains (4,823.0 km)
1921
3,005 miles (4,836 km)
1924
3,797 miles (6,111 km)
1925
3,819 miles 69 chains (6,147.5 km)
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The first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway (GWR) were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s. In 1864 Gooch was succeeded by Joseph Armstrong who brought his standard gauge experience to the workshops at Swindon. To replace some of the earlier locomotives, he put broad gauge wheels on his standard gauge locomotives and from this time on all locomotives were given numbers, including the broad gauge ones that had previously carried just names.
Joseph Armstrong's early death in 1877 meant that the next phase of motive power design was the responsibility of William Dean, his assistant and successor. Dean went on to develop express 4-4-0 types, but the familiar 4-6-0s of later years were initially introduced by the next engineer, George Jackson Churchward. He was also responsible for the introduction of self-propelled Steam Rail Motors for suburban and light branch line passenger trains. Next came Charles Collett in 1921; he standardised the many types of locomotives then in service, producing the iconic Castle and Kings. He also introduced diesel power in the form of streamlined rail cars in 1934. The final engineer was Frederick Hawksworth who took control in 1941 and produced GWR-design locomotives until after nationalisation in 1948.
The GWR expanded rapidly from 1854 by amalgamating with other railways. In 1876 most of the remaining broad gauge companies became a part of the GWR. The Railways Act 1921 finally brought most of the remaining independent companies in the area under its control. Many early locomotives were replaced by standard GWR designs, but many others were rebuilt using standardised components.
^MacDermot, E T (1927). "Appendix 1". History of the Great Western Railway, volume I 1833-1863. London: Great Western Railway. Reprinted 1982, Ian Allan, ISBN 0-7110-0411-0
^MacDermot, E T (1931). "Appendix 1". History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway. Reprinted 1982, Ian Allan, ISBN 0-711004-12-9
^"A brief review of the Company's hundred years of business". Great Western Railway Magazine. 47 (9). Great Western Railway: 495–499. 1935.
^The Railway Year Book for 1920. London: The Railway Publishing Company Limited. 1920. p. 154.
^The Railway Year Book for 1926. London: The Railway Publishing Company Limited. 1926. pp. 154–172.
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