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Brunel, Isambard Kingdom

Thames Tunnel
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: TunnelsEra: 1840-1849DateCreated: 1843Beneath the Thames RiverLondonCountry: UKWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Thames-Tunnel/Creator: Brunel, Marc Isambard , Brunel, Isambard Kingdom

By the turn of the 19th century, London's streets were clogged with traffic. Over 3,700 passengers used the Thames River's main boat crossing each day, while wagons and carts were forced to cross via the London Bridge, two miles away. Building a bridge would further impede shipping on the already-crowded Thames; a tunnel was the obvious alternative.

The first attempt at a tunnel in the present location began in 1807. The excavation had proceeded only 1,000 feet-using traditional mining methods-when crews reached a layer of quicksand and were forced to stop.

YearAdded:
1991
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Annie Mole (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Thames TunnelEra_date_from: 1843
Great Western Railway
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Roads & RailsEra: 1830-1839DateCreated: 1838Temple Meads StationBristolZip: BS1Country: UKWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Great-Western-Railway/Creator: Brunel, Isambard Kingdom

In the early 1830s, the merchants of Bristol, long dissatisfied with their communication with London, began to wonder if the new railroad technology might be a solution to their problem. The Bristol Chamber of Commerce, the Merchant Adventurers and other local industrial bodies formed a committee in 1833 to discuss the ambitious proposal of laying a railway to London. Matters progressed swiftly. Money was advanced and the search for a first-class engineer to guide the effort.

 

YearAdded:
2005
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ingy The Wingy (CC BY-ND 2.0)Image Caption: Great Western Railway lower quadrant semaphore signals; 1952Era_date_from: 1838
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Innovations

Great Western Railway

In the early 1830s, the merchants of Bristol, long dissatisfied with their communication with London, began to wonder if the new railroad technology might be a solution to their problem. The Bristol Chamber of Commerce, the Merchant Adventurers and other local industrial bodies formed a…

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Thames Tunnel

By the turn of the 19th century, London's streets were clogged with traffic. Over 3,700 passengers used the Thames River's main boat crossing each day, while wagons and carts were forced to cross via the London Bridge, two miles away. Building a bridge would further impede shipping on the…

Read More

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