Great Western Railway

Overview

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that connected London with western and southwestern England, the West Midlands and much of Wales.

Founded in 1833, it received parliamentary authorization in 1835 and began operating trains in 1838. Its original London-to-Bristol route was completed in 1841.

Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed the railway using a broad gauge of about 7 feet, although the company later operated standard-gauge lines and ended broad-gauge service in 1892.

The Great Western expanded through construction and mergers and retained its corporate identity during the 1923 grouping of Britain’s railways, absorbing other companies within its territory. It remained independent until nationalization at the end of 1947, when its network became the Western Region of British Railways.