List of structures built by Thomas Brassey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Brassey (7 November 1805 – 8 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building a large portion of the world's railways in the 19th century. For some of these constructions he was the sole contractor but he usually worked in partnership with other contractors, particularly Peto and Betts.
Contents |
[edit] Railways and associated structures
Brassey arranged the building of over 8,500 miles of railway tracks. By 1847 he had built one third of the railways in the United Kingdom and by the time of his death he had built one in twenty of the miles of railway in the world. He also built structures associated with railways - bridges, stations, etc. - and non-railway related structures. The following is an incomplete list of his projects. For the British railways the dates given are the date of the relevant Act of Parliament; for railways elsewhere and for other structures the date given is the date of the contract.
[edit] Railway lines
[edit] Great Britain
[edit] 1830s
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction Railway (part) | 1833 | 10 miles (16 km) |
| London and Southampton Railway (part) | 1834 | 36 miles (58 km) |
| Chester and Crewe Railway | 1837 | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (part) | 1837 | 7 miles (11 km) |
| Sheffield and Manchester Railway | 1837 | 19 miles (31 km) |
[edit] 1840s
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster and Carlisle Railway | 1844 | 70 miles (113 km) |
| Colchester and Ipswich Railway | 1844 | 16 miles (26 km) |
| Chester and Holyhead Railway | 1844 | 31 miles (50 km) |
| Ipswich and Bury Railway | 1845 | 27 miles (43 km) |
| Kendal and Windermere Railway | 1845 | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Trent Valley Railway | 1845 | 50 miles (80 km) |
| Caledonian Railway (First contract) | 1845 | 125 miles (201 km) |
| Clydesdale Junction Railway | 1845 | 15 miles (24 km) |
| North Wales Mineral Extension Railway | 1845 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| Scottish Midland Junction Railway | 1845 | 33 miles (53 km) |
| 1845 | 47 miles (76 km) | |
| Haughley and Norwich Railway | 1845 | 33 miles (53 km) |
| Shrewsbury and Chester Railway | 1846 | 35 miles (56 km) |
| Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway | 1846 | 30 miles (48 km) |
| North Staffordshire Railway | 1846 | 48 miles (77 km) |
| Buckinghamshire Railway | 1846 | 40 miles (64 km) |
| Mineral Line (Wales) | 1846 | 6.5 miles (10 km) |
| Great Northern Railway | 1846 | 75 miles (121 km) |
| Royston and Hitchin Railway | 1846 | 13 miles (21 km) |
|
Shepreth Extension Railway |
1846 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| 1846 | 51 miles (82 km) | |
|
Denny Branches |
1846 | 3.5 miles (6 km) |
| 1847 | 17.5 miles (28 km) | |
| Leicester and Hitchin Railway | 1847 | 62.5 miles (101 km) |
| Hooton and Parkgate Railway | 1847 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| Richmond and Windsor Railway | 1847 | 15 miles (24 km) |
| London and Southampton Railway Loop line | 1847 | 7 miles (11 km) |
| Shrewsbury Extension Railway | 1847 | 3 miles (5 km) |
| Blackwall Extension Railway | 1847 | 1.75 miles (3 km) |
| Oswestry Branch Railway | 1848 | 2 miles (3 km) |
[edit] 1850s
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| North and South-Western Junction Railway | 1851 | 4 miles (6 km) |
| Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway | 1851 | 30 miles (48 km) |
| Harleston and Beccles Railway | 1851 | 13 miles (21 km) |
| 1852 | 50 miles (80 km) | |
| Warrington and Stockport Railway | 1853 | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Bideford Extension | 1853 | 6 miles (10 km) |
| Crystal Palace and West-end Railway | 1853 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway | 1853 | 32.5 miles (52 km) |
| Portsmouth Direct Railway | 1853 | 33 miles (53 km) |
| Worcester and Hereford Railway | 1853 | 26 miles (42 km) |
| Severn Valley Railway | 1853 | 42 miles (68 km) |
| Coalbrookdale Railway | 1853 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| Woodford and Loughton Railway | 1853 | 7.5 miles (12 km) |
| East Suffolk Railway | 1854 | 63 miles (101 km) |
| Inverness and Nairn Railway | 1854 | 16 miles (26 km) |
| Leominster and Kington Railway | 1854 | 14 miles (23 km) |
| Salisbury and Yeovil Railway | 1854 | 40 miles (64 km) |
| Stokes Bay Pier and Branch Railway | 1855 | 2 miles (3 km) |
| Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway | 1856 | 40 miles (64 km) |
| Leatherhead, Epsom and Wimbledon Railway | 1856 | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Cannock Mineral Railway | 1857 | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Portpatrick Railway | 1857 | 17 miles (27 km) |
| Knighton Railway | 1858 | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Woofferton and Tenbury Railway | 1859 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| Wenlock Railway | 1859 | 4 miles (6 km) |
| Nuneaton and Hinckley Railway | 1859 | 5 miles (8 km) |
| South Staffordshire Railway | 1861 | 4 miles (6 km) |
| Llangollen Railway | 1859 | 6 miles (10 km) |
| Ringwood and Christchurch Railway | 1859 | 8 miles (13 km) |
| West London Railway (Extension) | 1859 | 9 miles (14 km) |
| Tendring Hundred Railway | 1859 | 3 miles (5 km) |
[edit] 1860s
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Ashchurch and Evesham Railway | 1862 | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Epping and Ongar Railway | 1859 | 13 miles (21 km) |
| South Leicester Railway | 1860 | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Tenbury and Bewdley Railway | 1860 | 15 miles (24 km) |
| Llangollen and Corwen Railway | 1860 | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Cannock Chase Railway | 1860 | 3 miles (5 km) |
| Disley and Hayfield Railway | 1860 | 3.5 miles (6 km) |
| Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway | 1861 | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Wenlock and Craven Arms Railway | 1861 | 14 miles (23 km) |
| Ludlow and Clee Hill Railway | 1861 | 16 miles (26 km) |
| Dunmow Railway | 1864 | 19 miles (31 km) |
| Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway | 1861 | 36 miles (58 km) |
| Moreton Hampstead Railway | 1862 | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Wellington and Market Drayton Railway | 1862 | 16 miles (26 km) |
| Bala and Dolgelly Railway | 1862 | 18 miles (29 km) |
| Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway | 1863 | 4 miles (6 km) |
| Evesham and Redditch Railway | 1863 | 18 miles (29 km) |
| Kensington and Richmond Railway (and Spurs) | 1864 | 7 miles (11 km) |
| Silverdale Railway | 1864 | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway | 1865 | 7 miles (11 km) |
| East London Railway | 1865 | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
[edit] Unknown dates
| Railway | Length |
|---|---|
| North Devon Railway | 47 miles (76 km) |
| Woodbridge Extension Railway | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Kingston Extension Railway | 4 miles (6 km) |
| Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge Railway | 48 miles (77 km) |
| Chertsey Extension Railway | 3 miles (5 km) |
| London and Bedford Railway | 50 miles (80 km) |
| Runcorn Branch Railway | 9 miles (14 km) |
| Sirhowy Railway | 2 miles (3 km) |
| Hull and Doncaster Railway | 15 miles (24 km) |
| Arpley Branch Railway, Warrington | 1.5 miles (2 km) |
| Ebbw Vale Railway | 2|mi|km|0}} |
| Hereford Loop Railway | 2 miles (3 km) |
| Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway | 93 miles (150 km) |
| Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilson Railway | 11 miles (18 km) |
[edit] France
75 per cent of the total mileage, including:
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Paris and Rouen Railway | 1841 | 82 miles (132 km) |
| Orléans and Bordeaux Railway | 1842 | 294 miles (473 km) |
| Rouen and Le Havre Railway | 1843 | 58 miles (93 km) |
| Amiens and Boulogne Railway | 1844 | 53 miles (85 km) |
| Rouen and Dieppe Railway | 1847 | 31 miles (50 km) |
| Mantes and Caen Railway | 1852 | 113 miles (182 km) |
| Le Mans and Mezidon Railway | 1852 | 84 miles (135 km) |
| Lyons and Avignon Railway | 1852 | 67 miles (108 km) |
| Sambre and Meuse Railway | 1853 | 28 miles (45 km) |
| Caen to Cherbourg | 1855 | 94 miles (151 km) |
| Dieppe Railway (laying second road) | 1860 |
[edit] Elsewhere in Europe
| Railway | Country | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona and Mataró Railway | Spain | 1848 | 18 miles (29 km) |
| Prato and Pistoja Railway | Italy | 1850 | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Norwegian Railway | Norway | 1851 | 56 miles (90 km) |
| Dutch Rhenish Railway | Holland | 1852 | 43 miles (69 km) |
| Turin and Novara Railway | Italy | 1853 | 60 miles (97 km) |
| Royal Danish Railway | Denmark | 1853 | 75 miles (121 km) |
| Central Italian Railway | Italy | 1854 | 52 miles (84 km) |
| Turin and Susa Railway | Italy | 1854 | 34 miles (55 km) |
| Elizabeth and Linz Railway | Austria | 1856 | 40|mi|km|0}} |
| Bilbao and Miranda Railway | Spain | 1858 | 66 miles (106 km) |
| Victor Emmanuel Railway | Italy | 1859 | 73 miles (117 km) |
| Ivrea Railway | Italy | 1859 | 19 miles (31 km) |
| Jutland Railway | Denmark | 1860 | 270 miles (435 km) |
| Maremma and Leghorn Railway | Italy | 1860 | 138 miles (222 km) |
| Meridionale Railway | Italy | 1863 | 160 miles (257 km) |
| North Schleswig Railway | Denmark | 1863 | 70 miles (113 km) |
| Lemberg and Czernowitz Railway | Austrian Empire (now Ukraine} | 1864 | 165 miles (266 km) |
| Viersen and Venlo Railway | Now in Germany to Netherlands | 1864 | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Warsaw and Terespol Railway | Poland | 1865 | 128 miles (206 km) |
| Kronprinz Rudolph Railway | 1867 | 272 miles (438 km) | |
| Czernowitz and Suczawa Railway | Austrian Empire (now Ukraine) | 1867 | 60 miles (97 km) |
| Vorarlberg Railway | Austria | 1870 | 55 miles (89 km) |
| Suczawa and Jassy Railway | Romania | 1870 | 135 miles (217 km) |
[edit] Canada
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Trunk Railway, Quebec to Toronto | 1854–1860 | 539 miles (867 km) |
[edit] Argentina
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Central Argentine Railway | 1864 | 247 miles (398 km) |
| La Boca and Barracas Railway | 1865 | 3 miles (5 km) |
[edit] Australia
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Great Northern, Great Eastern and Great Southern Railways, New South Wales | 1859 | 54 miles (87 km) |
| Queensland Railway | 1863 | 78 miles (126 km) |
[edit] India
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Bengal Railway | 1858 | 112 miles (180 km) |
| Delhi Railway | 1864 | 304 miles (489 km) |
| Chord Railway | 1865 | 147 miles (237 km) |
[edit] Mauritius
| Railway | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritius Railway | 1862 | 64 miles (103 km) |
[edit] Tunnels
| Tunnel | Line & Country | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shugborough Tunnel | Trent Valley Line, England | 1847 | 2,331 ft (710 m) |
| Hausenstein Tunnel | Basle to Olten line, Switzerland | 1853 | 1.5 miles (2 km) |
| Bellegarde Tunnel | France | 1854 | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
[edit] Stations
Many hundreds, including:
| Station | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trent Valley Line Stations | 1847 | |
| Chester | 1848 | had the longest platforms in the country at the time of its opening |
| Caledonian Railway Stations and Maintenance | 1848 | |
| Shrewsbury | 1848 | |
| Salisbury | 1859 | |
| Nantwich |
[edit] Viaducts and other structures
Many, including:
| Structure | Date | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Penkridge viaduct | 1837 | Grand Junction Railway |
| Malaunay viaduct | 1844 | Paris to Le Havre railway |
| Mirville Viaduct | 1844 | Paris to Le Havre railway |
| Brantham Cutting, Manningtree | 1845 | |
| Austreberth Bridge | 1847 | Paris to Le Havre railway |
| Cefn Mawr viaduct | 1848 | Chester to Shrewsbury railway |
| Chirk Viaduct | 1859 | |
| Welwyn (or Digswell) Viaduct |
[edit] Bridges
Again a large number, including:
| Structure | Date |
|---|---|
| Bury Saint Edmunds Station Bridge | 1846 |
| Richmond | 1848 |
| Barnes | 1849 |
| Coghines Bridge, Italy | 1855 |
| Victoria Bridge, Worcestershire | 1861 |
| Severn | 1861 |
| Stonework for the Runcorn bridge | 1868 |
| Kew | 1869 |
[edit] Non-railway projects
| Structure | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bromborough Road, Cheshire | 1834 | including Saughall Massie road bridge |
| Greenock Harbour | 1845 | |
| Birkenhead Docks | 1850 | |
| Victoria Docks, London | 1851 | over 100 acres (0.4 km²), with associated warehousing |
| Minories Warehouses | 1857 | |
| Ludlow Drainage | 1861 | |
| Metropolitan Mid Level Sewer, London | 1861 | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Rio Janeiro Drainage | 1862 | |
| Barrow Docks | 1863 | |
| Worm Drainage | 1863 | |
| Letton Drainage | 1864 | |
| Dee Reclamation Works | 1865 | |
| Calcutta Waterworks | 1865 | |
| Victoria Embankment, London | 1866 | |
| Nepean Bridge | 1869 | |
| Callao Docks, Peru | 1870 |
[edit] References
- Helps, Arthur [1872] (2006). The Life and Works of Mr Brassey. Nonsuch, 106–114. ISBN 1845880110.
- Walker, Charles (1969). Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder. London: Frederick Muller, 168–173. ISBN 0584103050.
