SWINDON COMES FACE TO FACE WITH BRUNEL

Friday 8 Sep 2006

SWINDON COMES FACE TO FACE WITH BRUNEL

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders; | Wales & Western: Western; | Wales & Western

Thousands of visitors to Swindon’s STEAM Museum will be coming face to face with the achievements of one of the greatest engineers in history over the next two weeks. Network Rail’s ‘Discover the Legacy’ exhibition, dedicated to Isambard Kingdom Brunel to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth, will be on display for all visitors to the STEAM Museum. Robbie Burns, Network Rail’s Western Route Director, said: “Network Rail has the unique honour of safeguarding much of Brunel’s legacy – not only his original drawings but also structures such as the Box Tunnel and the Royal Albert Bridge. “Our engineers still use Brunel’s original drawings in their day-to-day jobs, so it is only fitting that we are involved in these celebrations.” The exhibition stands include rarely-seen drawings and plans by Brunel from Network Rail’s own archive, commissioned photographs and information about the great man and ‘pearls’ of the Great Western route. Following its launch at Paddington Station, this unique exhibition will be at STEAM Museum from Saturday 9 September – Saturday 23 September - the last stop for the exhibition after its summer-long tour along the Great Western Main Line.

Notes to editors

The Exhibition has been at the following locations: Paddington Station: 3 -14 July Bath Spa Station: 15 – 30 July Reading Station: 31 July – 11 August Bristol Temple Meads Station: 12 – 25 August Plymouth Station: 26 August – 8 September

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