威尔特郡的盒子隧道是我们最好的维多利亚式结构之一。它也是铁路最伟大的胜利之一。
一旦完成，它可以启发短篇小说和诗歌，在维多利亚时代的思想中巩固了自己的奇迹作为这个时代的奇迹。
Yet there would come backlash. It was labelled as ruinously extravagant. The media publicised its virtues but also reported on the fears of the public, who were terrified about travelling through the subterranean darkness.
There was also a large human cost to its ambitious construction, with more than 100 deaths occurring during the project.
Inside, the site smelt of smoke and gunpowder. The dark and dim vault filled with clouds of vapour and only feeble candlelight saved it from utter blackness.
它的设计师，Isambard Kingdom Brunel, achieved the impossible at Box despite the harsh working conditions, tragic deaths and controversy.
有了它，他推动了工程的界限，并创造了世界上最具标志性的隧道设计示例之一。
Box Tunnel in numbers
- One tonne of candles needed each week so the workers could see inside the tunnel
- One tonne of explosives a week to blast through the earth
- Less than two inches – the difference of alignment when the two ends of the tunnel from the east and west sides of Box Hill met in the middle
- 4,000 – the number of men needed to finish its construction after the project missed its deadline
- More than 100 – deaths during the project
- 300英尺 - 隧道内部挖出的最深轴的深度（比约克大阪高约100英尺）
- More than 20 million – the bricks it took to build
视频：威尔特郡的盒子隧道
点击下方的盒式隧道的非凡历史记录
1833:A young civil engineer, known for his work on the Thames Tunnel, is appointed the chief engineer of the newly formed Great Western Railway in 1833. This is 27-year-old Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
His vision was vast. He wanted to create a connection between London and New York, taking his railway from Paddington, to Bristol and then on to South Wales, where a ship could be taken to NY. His route was chosen to avoid steep gradients, except for Box Tunnel.
31 August 1835:the Great Western Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament to build the railway line between the cities of London and Bristol.
1835-1836:Box Tunnel is the greatest challenge on the Great Western Railway – a feat thought impossible due to the area’s geology. The company states in the press that Box Tunnel “is considered to be the most difficult part of the line; but we are happy to state that it presents no obstacle that is not readily surmountable by skill and perseverance”. The completed tunnel is to be 1.8 miles long, making it the longest tunnel of any kind in the world. William Glennie, one of Brunel’s personal assistants, is in charge on site until completion.
April 1837:Keeping the water out of the workings is difficult but Brunel employs some of his workers from the Thames Tunnel to help the contractor keep the water out. Horses take away removed earth because there is no way to bring water to the top of Box Hill to feed a steam engine.
November 1837:Great distress abounds at the Great Western Railway about work between Chippenham and Box Tunnel. Several sub-contractors default on their payments and can no longer pay their workers. Residents of Corsham take pity on them and for 10 days feed and care for them. On 12 November the first recorded death takes place. John Fowles, aged 24, is crushed by falling masonry at the bottom of shaft number three.
1838:George Burge, the contractor for St Katherine Docks in London, becomes a contractor for the project.
June 1838:由于附近的弹簧的恒定涌入，工作进展缓慢。有些轴在它们中有20英尺的水。
地中海ia at the time described the instances of death during the Box Tunnel works as frightful. Although sources differ, most agree that there were more than 100 deaths in total over the course of the project.
September 1838:Daniel Thomas, the youngest death recorded during the works, aged 15, dies, falling 200ft to the bottom of shaft number five. It is said that by November 1838, 19 men had lost their lives.
December 1838:由于水的涌入，在箱隧道中，工作已经达到了所有的工作，这几乎不可能继续工作。新的蒸汽动发动机在轴上建造六到七，以与水抗衡。
1839年1月：It’s believed the Great Western Railway will open in 1840. But it is clear that Box Tunnel will not be finished in time.
November 1839:迄今为止，在盒子隧道中丢失了五十个生命。
1840:Constant news about accidental deaths in the tunnel.
January 1841:Brunel cajoles his contractors to increase their workforce from 1,200 to 4,000 men in an attempt to finish the tunnel soon.
30 June 1841:Box Tunnel opens. It’s about 3,200 yards in length and used more than 20 million bricks.
9 April 1842: Brunel’s personal assistant William Glennie reports the first instance when the sun shone directly through the tunnel and will once again in October.
根据他儿子写的Brunel的传记，当隧道开放时，人们如此害怕，他们会在隧道前离开火车。他们将沿着在禁区乘坐火车前沿着收费公路旅行。
1844:Box Tunnel is used as an example of the impossible made possible in talks about how difficult it would be to build a railway through hilly South Devon.
1845:一块大石头从盒子的屋顶上落在火车前面，脱轨。
Railway promotions use their projected routes between London and Bristol and their avoidance of Box Tunnel as selling points. The Direct Western Railway cites an advantage that it will connect with London and Bristol but avoid Box Tunnel, which “is the object of fear to so many travellers”.
1857:Charles Reade, the English novelist, writes The Box Tunnel, a short story for American audiences.
1939-1945:In WWII part of the quarrying tunnels at the eastern end of box tunnel were used to store ammunition for the Army. The Royal Air Force at RAF Box also used the tunnel. Part of the tunnel was also used for the Bristol Aeroplane Company and housed its experimental department.
1986:restoration of the tunnel was undertaken. A viewing platform on London Road (A4, Bath) was opened to give visitors the best view of the western portal.
2009:the electrification of London (Paddington) – Bristol – Swansea announced by Network Rail.
March 2010:亚搏彩票软件官网网络铁路清除杂草丛生的植物和树叶growing along the embankment around the tunnel’s west portal to improve the vista from the viewing platform on London Road.
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