In part 3 of our mini-series on the L&MR, we’re working our way along the line, exploring some of the magnificent works of civil engineering on the railroad.

We'll meet George Stephenson’s resident engineers: Joseph Locke, William Allcard, and John Dixon who had responsibility for these amazing structures.

And I'll also try to give an idea of what building them might have involved, if you were one of the nameless hundreds of navvies on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, who did the actual physical work. 

 

History of the Railways is a podcast for anyone interested in railroad history. Come and join Michael Lancashire as he gets distracted, fascinated ... and yes, even sidetracked ... by stories from the railways (or railroads if you're American).

 

Find show notes and more at https://historyoftherailways.com

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfTheRailways/

Support the show at http://patreon.com/HistoryoftheRailways

 

Chapters

• 00:00 Start
• 01:51 Last episode's trivia answer
• 02:23 George Stephenson’s men on the line - Joseph Locke, William Allcard, John Dixon
• 03:40 Edge Hill Tunnel
• 05:13 How the navvies on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway built the tunnel
• 07:49 First recorded death of a railway navvy
• 10:13 Olive Mount Cutting
• 11:42 Twin Sisters locomotive
• 13:40 Broadgreen or Roby Embankment
• 15:44 Sankey Viaduct
• 16:50 Sankey Viaduct's foundations
• 19:00 The Excavation at Kenyon
• 20:02 Chat Moss
• 22:50 John Dixon's account of sinking
• 23:33 Robert Stannard suggests a solution
• 26:00 The track
• 28:36 This episode's trivia question