Bristol and Exeter Railway
Encyclopedia
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol
and Exeter
.
The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station. Designed by Samuel Fripp, it was opened in 1854.
In addition to the mainline from Bristol to Exeter (Devon
), branches were opened to Clevedon
, Cheddar
and Wells, Weston-super-Mare
, Chard
, and Yeovil
in Somerset
, and to Tiverton, Devon. The Bristol & Exeter also worked a number of small independent railways: the Bristol and Portishead Port and Pier Railway
, the Somerset Central Railway, the West Somerset Railway
and Minehead Railway, the Devon and Somerset Railway
, and the Exeter and Crediton Railway
.
. Bristol merchants were anxious to secure a railway route to Exeter, which was an important commercial centre, and which had a harbour on the south coast, in the English Channel. Coastal shipping from the South coast and from continental Europe making for Bristol needed to navigate the hazardous north Cornwall coast after negotiating the waters round Land's End.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
was appointed engineer, and his assistant William Gravatt surveyed the route in 1835 and was resident engineer for the section between Bristol and Whiteball with William Froude
supervising the section from Whiteball to Exeter. He developed an empirical method of setting out track transition curves and introduced an alternative design to the helicoidal skew arch
bridge at Rewe
and Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter. The first , broad gauge
, section of the line was completed to Bridgwater on 14 June 1841, and the extension to Taunton in July 1842 - both using trains leased from the Great Western. The line was completed to Exeter and opened on 1 May 1844.
At first the railway was worked by the Great Western Railway, but the Bristol & Exeter took over its own working in 1849. It built a carriage works at Bridgwater
, which already had a railway engineering industry. George Hennet
obtained permission in the town to cast atmospheric pipes for the South Devon Railway
, the Bristol and Exeter Railway simply extended his works. The Hennet name continued to be linked to Bridgwater for many years, and was responsible for producing many wagons for various companies.
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a considerable financial success and between 1844 and 1874, paying an average annual dividend
of 4.5 per cent. The city fathers of Exeter refused the railway access to the dock of the Exeter Canal
until 35 years after it entered the city in 1844.
The railway was fully amalgamated
with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.
South of Weston-super-Mare
the line crosses the western end of the Mendip Hills
, at Uphill
, through a deep cutting spanned by a 115 feet (35.1 m) masonry arch bridge, known locally as Devil's Bridge, which is built into the rock sides. It then runs south across the Somerset Levels
.
At Bridgwater
a retractable bridge
was built in 1871 to the design of Sir Francis Fox
. It carried a short industrial branch line over the River Parrett
to the docks, but the bridge had to be movable, to allow boats to proceed upriver. An 80 feet (24.4 m) section of railway track to the east of the bridge could be moved sideways, so that the main 127 feet (38.7 m) girders could be retracted, creating a navigable channel which was 78 feet (23.8 m) wide. It was manually operated for the first eight months, and then powered by a steam engine, reverting to manual operation in 1913, when the steam engine failed. The bridge was last opened in 1953, and the traverser section was demolished in 1974, but public outcry at the action resulted in the bridge being listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
, and the rest of the bridge was kept. It was later used as a road crossing, until the construction of the Chandos road bridge alongside it, and is now only used by pedestrians. Parts of the steam engine were moved to Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum
in 1977. The bridge is now a Grade II* listed building.
The main line crosses the River Parrett just south of Bridgwater on the Somerset Bridge, with a 100 feet (30.5 m) span but a rise of just 12 feet (3.7 m). Work started in 1838 and was completed in 1841. Brunel left the centering scaffold in place as the foundations were still settling but was forced to remove it in 1843 to reopen the river for navigation. Brunel demolished the brick arch and had replaced it with a timber arch within six months without interrupting the traffic on the railway. This was in turn replaced in 1904 by a steel girder bridge.
At Taunton
the River Tone
was straightened to avoid the need for two bridges close together. West of Taunton gradients of 1 in 80 were needed to cross the Blackdown Hills
and at the summit on the Somerset-Devon border the 1092 yards (998.5 m) Whiteball Tunnel was constructed.
Main article Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives
.
Locomotives for the railway were provided by the Great Western Railway until its working arrangement finished on 1 May 1849, after which the Bristol and Exeter provided its own locomotives. Engine sheds were provided at major stations and on some branches, and workshops were established at Bristol in September 1854.
Charles Hutton Gregory
was responsible for the locomotives until May 1850, when James Pearson
was appointed as Locomotive Engineer. He designed several classes of tank engines, including his distinctive large 4-2-4T locomotives
, the first of which were introduced in 1854.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
.
The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station. Designed by Samuel Fripp, it was opened in 1854.
In addition to the mainline from Bristol to Exeter (Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
), branches were opened to Clevedon
Clevedon
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...
, Cheddar
Cheddar
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross...
and Wells, Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, Chard
Chard, Somerset
Chard is a town and civil parish in the Somerset county of England. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon border, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 12,000 and, at an elevation of , it is the southernmost and highest town in Somerset...
, and Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and to Tiverton, Devon. The Bristol & Exeter also worked a number of small independent railways: the Bristol and Portishead Port and Pier Railway
Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway was a branch line railway running from Portishead in Somerset to the Great Western Main Line in Bristol, England. It was constructed in the 1860s by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway, which was incorporated to build a pier and a broad gauge link to the Bristol and...
, the Somerset Central Railway, the West Somerset Railway
West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the...
and Minehead Railway, the Devon and Somerset Railway
Devon and Somerset Railway
The Devon and Somerset Railway was a branch line from near in Somerset to in North Devon. It was operated from the outset by the Bristol and Exeter Railway which became part of the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.-History:...
, and the Exeter and Crediton Railway
Exeter and Crediton Railway
The Exeter and Crediton Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked Exeter and Crediton, Devon, England.Although built in 1847, it was not opened until 12 May 1851 due to disagreement about the gauge to be used...
.
History
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was authorised by act of Parliament in 1836, following quickly on the 1835 act for construction of the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. Bristol merchants were anxious to secure a railway route to Exeter, which was an important commercial centre, and which had a harbour on the south coast, in the English Channel. Coastal shipping from the South coast and from continental Europe making for Bristol needed to navigate the hazardous north Cornwall coast after negotiating the waters round Land's End.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
was appointed engineer, and his assistant William Gravatt surveyed the route in 1835 and was resident engineer for the section between Bristol and Whiteball with William Froude
William Froude
William Froude was an English engineer, hydrodynamicist and naval architect. He was the first to formulate reliable laws for the resistance that water offers to ships and for predicting their stability....
supervising the section from Whiteball to Exeter. He developed an empirical method of setting out track transition curves and introduced an alternative design to the helicoidal skew arch
Skew arch
A skew arch is a method of construction that enables an arch bridge to span an obstacle at some angle other than a right angle. This results in the faces of the arch not being perpendicular to its abutments and its plan view being a parallelogram, rather than the rectangle that is the plan view of...
bridge at Rewe
Rewe
Rewe is a village and civil parish in the county of Devon in England. It lies on the river Culm, north of the city of Exeter and south of the town of Tiverton. Rewe is a linear village, with most of its buildings lying along the A396 road about north of the larger village of Stoke Canon...
and Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter. The first , broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
, section of the line was completed to Bridgwater on 14 June 1841, and the extension to Taunton in July 1842 - both using trains leased from the Great Western. The line was completed to Exeter and opened on 1 May 1844.
At first the railway was worked by the Great Western Railway, but the Bristol & Exeter took over its own working in 1849. It built a carriage works at Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
, which already had a railway engineering industry. George Hennet
George Hennet
George Hennet was a railway engineer and contractor. He undertook many contracts for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's broad gauge railways in the South West of England and funded the provision of extra facilities on the South Devon Railway, these formed the basis of a general trading business that he...
obtained permission in the town to cast atmospheric pipes for the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
, the Bristol and Exeter Railway simply extended his works. The Hennet name continued to be linked to Bridgwater for many years, and was responsible for producing many wagons for various companies.
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a considerable financial success and between 1844 and 1874, paying an average annual dividend
Dividend
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
of 4.5 per cent. The city fathers of Exeter refused the railway access to the dock of the Exeter Canal
Exeter Canal
The Exeter Ship Canal, sometimes just called the Exeter Canal, downstream of Exeter, Devon, England was built in the 1560s which means it pre-dates the "canal mania" period and is one of the oldest artificial waterways in the UK.-History:...
until 35 years after it entered the city in 1844.
The railway was fully amalgamated
Consolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.
Engineering features
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
the line crosses the western end of the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, at Uphill
Uphill
Uphill is a village on the edge of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England.-History:There is evidence of a port at Uphill since Roman times, probably for the export of lead from the Mendip Hills...
, through a deep cutting spanned by a 115 feet (35.1 m) masonry arch bridge, known locally as Devil's Bridge, which is built into the rock sides. It then runs south across the Somerset Levels
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
.
At Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
a retractable bridge
Retractable bridge
A retractable bridge is a type of movable bridge in which the deck can be rolled or slid backwards to open a gap for crossing traffic, usually a ship on a waterway. This type is sometimes referred to as a thrust bridge....
was built in 1871 to the design of Sir Francis Fox
Sir Francis Fox
Sir Francis Fox was an English civil engineer, who was responsible for the bridges over the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi and Sydney Harbour, the Mersey Railway Tunnel and the Liverpool Overhead Railway, and extending the London Underground....
. It carried a short industrial branch line over the River Parrett
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
to the docks, but the bridge had to be movable, to allow boats to proceed upriver. An 80 feet (24.4 m) section of railway track to the east of the bridge could be moved sideways, so that the main 127 feet (38.7 m) girders could be retracted, creating a navigable channel which was 78 feet (23.8 m) wide. It was manually operated for the first eight months, and then powered by a steam engine, reverting to manual operation in 1913, when the steam engine failed. The bridge was last opened in 1953, and the traverser section was demolished in 1974, but public outcry at the action resulted in the bridge being listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
, and the rest of the bridge was kept. It was later used as a road crossing, until the construction of the Chandos road bridge alongside it, and is now only used by pedestrians. Parts of the steam engine were moved to Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum
Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum
The Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum is a small Industrial Heritage museum dedicated to steam powered machinery in Westonzoyland, Somerset, England....
in 1977. The bridge is now a Grade II* listed building.
The main line crosses the River Parrett just south of Bridgwater on the Somerset Bridge, with a 100 feet (30.5 m) span but a rise of just 12 feet (3.7 m). Work started in 1838 and was completed in 1841. Brunel left the centering scaffold in place as the foundations were still settling but was forced to remove it in 1843 to reopen the river for navigation. Brunel demolished the brick arch and had replaced it with a timber arch within six months without interrupting the traffic on the railway. This was in turn replaced in 1904 by a steel girder bridge.
At Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
the River Tone
River Tone
The River Tone is a river in Somerset, England, which is about long. It rises at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors, which are designated as a Site of Special...
was straightened to avoid the need for two bridges close together. West of Taunton gradients of 1 in 80 were needed to cross the Blackdown Hills
Blackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
and at the summit on the Somerset-Devon border the 1092 yards (998.5 m) Whiteball Tunnel was constructed.
Mainline
- Bristol
- BristolBristol Temple Meads railway stationBristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
(1841, joint with Great Western Railway) - BedminsterBedminster railway stationBedminster railway station is on the Bristol to Taunton Line and serves the suburb of Bedminster in Bristol, England. It also serves the area of Windmill Hill.-History:The Bristol and Exeter Railway was opened on 14 June 1841...
(1871)
- Bristol
- Somerset
- Flax Bourton (1860)
- NailseaNailsea and Backwell railway stationNailsea and Backwell railway station is a station on the Bristol to Taunton Line. It is located in the village of Backwell and close to the town of Nailsea in North Somerset, England...
(1841) - Clevedon RoadYatton railway stationYatton railway station serves the village of Yatton in North Somerset, England. It is west of Bristol Temple Meads railway station on the Bristol to Taunton Line.-History:...
(1841, renamed Yatton 1847) - Banwell (1841, later renamed Puxton and Worle)
- Weston Junction (1841)
- Bleadon and Uphill (1871)
- Brent Knoll (1875)
- HighbridgeHighbridge and Burnham railway stationHighbridge and Burnham railway station is situated on the Bristol to Taunton Line in the town of Highbridge in Somerset, England and also serves neighbouring Burnham-on-Sea...
(1841) - Dunball (1873)
- BridgwaterBridgwater railway stationBridgwater railway station serves Bridgwater in Somerset, England. It is on the Bristol to Taunton Line and is operated by First Great Western. Originally built to the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the station is now a Grade II* listed building.-History:...
(1841) - Durston (1853)
- TauntonTaunton railway stationTaunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
(1842) - Norton FitzwarrenNorton Fitzwarren railway stationNorton Fitzwarren railway station is an untimetabled station on the West Somerset Railway in Somerset, England. It was built in 2009 about north of the site of the old station that served the village of Norton Fitzwarren from 1873 until 1961...
(1873) - Wellington (1843)
- Beambridge (temporary station 1843-1844)
- Devon
- Burlescombe (1867)
- Tiverton Road (1844, renamed Tiverton Junction 1848)
- Cullompton (1844)
- Hele (1844)
- Silverton (1867)
- Stoke Canon (1860)
- ExeterExeter St Davids railway stationExeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
(1844)
Branches
- Clevedon branchClevedon branch lineThe Clevedon branch line was a branch railway line that ran from Yatton railway station on the Bristol to Taunton Line to Clevedon in North Somerset, England, with no intermediate stops....
from Yatton- Clevedon (1847)
- Cheddar Valley RailwayCheddar Valley lineThe Cheddar Valley line was a railway line in Somerset, England, opened in 1869 and closed in 1963. It became known as The Strawberry Line because of the volume of locally-grown strawberries that it carried....
from Yatton (also known as The Strawberry Line)- CongresburyCongresbury railway stationCongresbury railway station was a station at Congresbury on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Somerset and the junction for the Wrington Vale Light Railway to Blagdon....
(1867) - Sandford (1867)
- WinscombeWinscombe railway stationWinscombe railway station was a station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Winscombe, Somerset.The station was opened as "Woodborough" with the broad gauge line to Cheddar in August 1869 as a single-platform station...
(1867; called Woodborough for the first few months) - AxbridgeAxbridge railway stationAxbridge railway station was a station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Axbridge, Somerset. Axbridge was one of the principal stations for the transport of strawberries, which led to the line's alternative name as The Strawberry Line....
(1867) - CheddarCheddar railway stationCheddar railway station was a station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Cheddar, Somerset. The station had substantial goods traffic based on the locally-grown strawberries, which led to the line's alternative name as The Strawberry Line.-History:The station was opened as...
(1867) - DraycottDraycott railway station (Somerset)Draycott railway station was a station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Draycott, Somerset.The station was opened with the extension of the broad gauge line from Cheddar to Wells in April 1870, converted to standard gauge in the mid-1870s and then linked up to the East...
(1870) - Lodge HillLodge Hill railway stationLodge Hill railway station was a station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Somerset. The station served the village of Westbury-sub-Mendip, but was not named Westbury because of the potential for confusion with Westbury, Wiltshire....
(1870, serving Westbury-sub-MendipWestbury-sub-MendipWestbury-sub-Mendip is a village in Somerset, England, with a population of about 800, situated on the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills from Wells and Cheddar.The parish boundary is formed by the River Axe-History:...
) - WookeyWookey railway stationWookey railway station was a station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Somerset, England. The site is a 0.04 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Wells and Wookey Hole-Site of Special Scientific Interest:...
(1871) - WellsWells (Tucker Street) railway stationWells railway station was the second terminus station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway's Cheddar Valley line in Somerset after the extension from the first terminus at Cheddar was opened...
(1870)
- Congresbury
- Weston branch (from Weston Junction)
- Weston (1841)
- Yeovil branch (joined before Durston)
- Athelney (1853)
- Langport (1853)
- Martock (1853)
- Montacute (1882)
- Yeovil (Hendford) (1853)
- Yeovil Pen MillYeovil Pen Mill railway stationYeovil Pen Mill railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Yeovil, Somerset. The station is situated just under a mile to the east of the town centre.The station is located south of Bristol Temple Meads, on the Heart of Wessex Line...
(1857, joint with Great Western Railway)
- Chard branch
- Thorn (1871, later renamed Thornfalcon)
- Hatch (1866)
- Ilminster (1866)
- ChardChard Central railway stationChard Central railway station was the principal railway station in Chard, Somerset, England. It was opened in 1866 and closed in 1962, during which time it was known by three different names.-History:...
(1866, joint with London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
)
- Tiverton branch
- TivertonTiverton railway stationTiverton railway station served the town of Tiverton, Devon, England. It opened in 1848 as the terminus station of a broad gauge branch line from the Bristol and Exeter Railway main line: the main line junction station four miles away had originally been called Tiverton Road but was renamed as ...
(1848)
- Tiverton
Locomotives
Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives
The Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives worked trains on the Bristol and Exeter Railway from 1 May 1849 until the railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876....
.
Locomotives for the railway were provided by the Great Western Railway until its working arrangement finished on 1 May 1849, after which the Bristol and Exeter provided its own locomotives. Engine sheds were provided at major stations and on some branches, and workshops were established at Bristol in September 1854.
Charles Hutton Gregory
Charles Hutton Gregory
Sir Charles Hutton Gregory KCMG was a British civil engineer. He was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers between December 1867 and December 1869....
was responsible for the locomotives until May 1850, when James Pearson
James Pearson (engineer)
This article is about James Pearson, British railway engineer. For other people of the same name see James Pearson.James Pearson was a 19th century English railway engineer...
was appointed as Locomotive Engineer. He designed several classes of tank engines, including his distinctive large 4-2-4T locomotives
Bristol and Exeter Railway 4-2-4T locomotives
The 14 Bristol and Exeter Railway 4-2-4T locomotives were broad gauge 4-2-4T steam locomotives built to three different designs. The first entered service in 1853...
, the first of which were introduced in 1854.
Chronology
- 1836 Bristol and Exeter Railway authorised by Act of ParliamentAct of ParliamentAn Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
- 1841 Opened from Bristol to Bridgwater, also Weston branch
- 1842 Extended from Bridgwater to Taunton
- 1843 Extended to temporary terminus at Beam Bridge
- 1844 Main line completed to Exeter
- 1845 Independent Exeter station opened at Bristol
- 1847 Clevedon branchClevedon branch lineThe Clevedon branch line was a branch railway line that ran from Yatton railway station on the Bristol to Taunton Line to Clevedon in North Somerset, England, with no intermediate stops....
opened - 1848 Tiverton branch opened
- 1849 Lease to Great Western Railway expires
- 1853 Yeovil branch opened
- 1854 Operation of Somerset Central Railway
- 1857 Yeovil branch extended to junction with Great Western Railway Weymouth line
- 1862 Exeter and Crediton Railway opened, operated by Bristol and Exeter Railway
- 1862 West Somerset Railway opened and leased to Bristol and Exeter Railway
- 1864 Exeter station rebuilt
- 1865 Grand Western CanalGrand Western CanalThe Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End...
purchased - 1866 Chard branch opened; Weston station rebuilt
- 1867 Bridgwater and Taunton CanalBridgwater and Taunton CanalThe Bridgwater and Taunton Canal is a canal in the south-west of England between Bridgwater and Taunton, opened in 1827 and linking the River Tone to the River Parrett. There were a number of abortive schemes to link the Bristol Channel to the English Channel by waterway in the 18th and early 19th...
purchased - 1868 Taunton station rebuilt
- 1869 Branch opened from Yatton to Cheddar
- 1870 Branch extended from Cheddar to Wells
- 1871 Devon and Somerset Railway opened to Wiveliscombe, worked by Bristol and Exeter Railway
- 1872 Bristol Harbour Railway opened, jointly owned with the Great Western Railway
- 1873 Devon and Somerset Railway completed to Barnstaple
- 1874 Minehead Railway opened, operated by Bristol and Exeter Railway
- 1875 Bristol to Taunton, Weston and Yeovil branches converted to mixed gaugeDual gaugeA dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
; Wells branch convertedGauge conversionIn rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
to standard gaugeStandard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge... - 1876 Amalgamated with Great Western Railway