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This is a joint meeting with Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum

Felix Schmid, Professor emeritus of Railway Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham, will talk about the construction and early years of the London and Birmingham Railway. He will trace the history of this huge undertaking through the eyes of John Cooke Bourne, using his watercolours and lithographs. Cooke Bourne lived from 1 September 1814 to February 1896 and also illustrated Brunel’s construction of the Great Western Railway. Cooke Bourne’s pictures illustrate the huge scale of this enterprise.

Felix will discuss some of the technologies used in the construction of this first railway to reach London, notably the equipment needed for the vast movements of earth required to build the railway.

About the Speaker

Felix Schmid is Professor emeritus of Railway Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham. Felix is neither a historian nor an archaeologist but a railway systems engineer who enjoys discussing the history of railways and its pioneers. He is a member of Newcomen Council, and has recently been elected as the next President of the Newcomen Society.