The railway came to Northamptonshire in the mid-1800s with the Broad Gauge track of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway and a station at Aynho.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the Chief Engineer of the Great Western Railway. His genius was to theoretically determine that a railway track gauge of seven feet and a quarter inch was better for speed, stability and load carrying than Stephenson’s already established gauge of four feet, eight and a half inches.
The GWR line between Bristol and London opened in 1838. Their region included South-West England, South Wales and into the Midlands. In 1850 a line was built from Oxford to Banbury, which entered Northamptonshire with a station at Aynho, this was the only station in the county to have broad gauge. At its peak the GWR had around 550 miles of track.
Stephenson’s gauge was spread over more of the country. Where both gauges served the same town sometimes unique dual gauge track was laid. The third rail added complexity and cost.
An 1846 government enquiry found that although Brunel’s Broad Gauge had merits, Stephenson’s served its purpose and restricted further GWR expansion. Stymied, the GWR started to convert to Stephenson’s gauge and by 1892 Broad Gauge no longer existed.
Number 65 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.
Aynho
Contributed by Mike Ringwood and Peter Boyce, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group (NIAG)
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NMAG