Railways

The recent cock-up on the West Coast Main Line (The Telegraph reports: "The investigation is one of two inquiries now under way into the performance of both Network Rail and its contractors after Rugby junction was effectively put out of action, resulting in delays and bus journeys for 60,000 passengers a day last week when engineering work overran by three days.")coincided with me reading a book on the Great Western Railway.

In 1892 the GWR decided to convert 213 miles of broad gauge track to standard gauge. 177 miles of this could not be readily converted by simply adding an extra rail as it ran on longitudinal sleepers. Fifteen miles of sidings were laid to accommodate the redundant broad gauge stock and 4200 men laboured to relay the track. The work commenced on 21st May and the first train ran over the new track on 23rd May. It arrived four minutes early at Paddington.