Railway History Map of Britain - Republic of Ireland

Resource Type: Image | Posted on 14th November 2011 by Liam Physick

Despite its name, the Railway History Map of Britain also shows the railways in the Republic of Ireland, which appear here. We see two examples of rails: bull-head and flat-bottom. Bull-head rails developed out of double-headed rails, first used in the 1830s on the London and Birmingham Railway, which were reinforced by chairs and where the head and foot of the rail had the same profile. However, the chair caused dents in the lower surface, and so the double-headed railway was replaced by the bull-head, where the top edge has a heavier profile. Until the mid-twentieth century, this remained the standard form of rail, and is still used on the London Undergound, and some branch lines and sidings. Flat-bottom rail was introduced to Britain by Charles Vignoles, and is occasionally named after him: he had observed it in the United States and recommended it for the London and Croydon Railway, for which he was consulting engineer. However, Vignoles’s design had a smaller cross-section than its American counterpart, and a wider base than those used today. Flat-bottom rails are now the standard worldwide. Also in this picture we see an early example of railway signalling

Tagged under: steam locomotives, railway workers, tank locomotives, railway history, signalmen, railway signals, railway history map of britain, rails, london and birmingham railway, london and croydon railway

Categorised under: Landmarks, Landscapes & Locomotives