Great Western Railway

About Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway (GWR) is a well-known example of British railroading and civil engineering, linking London with South West England, South West England, and Wales. Founded in 1833, it remained an identity group until 1923, when it became the Western part of British Railways upon nationalization in 1948. Once hailed as 'God's great railroad,' the Great Western Railway has become the great 'vacation line' of the southwest. The locomotives were medium chrome green (similar to Brunswick green) with Indian red (later simply black) frames and the cars were two-color 'chocolate and cream'. Construction of the rail line began in 1836 and was completed in 1841. Engineering landmarks were the Box Tunnel in Wiltshire, the longest in the world at the time, and the Warncliffe Viaduct in west London. The Great Western Railway in the United Kingdom uses broad gauge, while the main British railroads are standard gauge. The Great Western Railway also converted to standard gauge in 1892. In 1999, in response to the historical and cultural significance of the railroad, society and the public submitted parts of the GWR to the UNESCO World Heritage List and the nomination was supported by UK Heritage in the United Kingdom. The Great Western Railway line is applying for World Heritage status.