On the 4th July 1837, the Grand Junction Railway linked Liverpool and Manchester with Birmingham.
In this episode we:
• Take a look at some of the civil engineering works on the GJR
• Meet Thomas Brassey, who would command an international force of about 80,000 navvies
• See how the Grand Junction handled their opening.
The GJR has been underplayed in most railroad histories, so come and hear why I think it’s important, and marks a turning point in the nature of railways and the character of the engineers who built them.
History of the Railways is a podcast for anyone interested in railroad history. Come and join Michael Lancashire as he gets distracted, fascinated ... and yes, even sidetracked ... by stories from the railways (or railroads if you're American).
Find show notes and more at https://historyoftherailways.com
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Support the show at http://patreon.com/HistoryoftheRailways
Chapter Notes:
00:00 Start
01:23 Last episode’s trivia answer
02:00 What we can really know about history
05:36 The Wolverhampton and Preston Brook Tunnel and the coldest winter on the 19th century
08:51 Dutton Viaduct
11:35 Penkridge Viaduct
13:03 Joseph Locke’s approach to contracts
16:55 Thomas Brassey
22:00 Birmingham Terminus at Vauxhall not Curzon Street
22:53 James Watt Jr and the course of the line
25:19 Double-headed, parallel, fish-bellied, Vignoles, and Stevens rail
30:39 Opening Day
35:40 Conclusion
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