HISTORIC images of the original architectural drawings by Isambard Kingdom Brunel have been captured for the first time on a new Network Rail virtual archive.

The new website celebrates the heritage of today’s railway infrastructure and provides public access to view a selection of the Network Rail archive, which holds over five million records.

Visitors to the site can see the history of the Great Western main line’s most significant structures and stations, including the Paddington station, Bristol Temple Meads and Box Tunnel.

Apart from records by Brunel, the archive also holds records by other famous railway engineers, Robert Stephenson, Joseph Locke and William Henry Barlow.

Network Rail’s archivist Vicky Stretch said: “The history of the railway is so fascinating, with some of the oldest records dating back to the 1680s and Charing Cross station with Sir Christopher Wren’s signature.

“The drawings and documents we hold are an absorbing window to understanding the incredibly detailed and beautiful architectural work carried out by some of the world’s greatest engineers, and are still important for engineers working today.

“We can’t yet showcase anywhere near the five million records we hold but we’ll publish new images and documents all the time and through the ‘ask the archivist’ and blog sections we can share more.

“We hope this will be a great resource for enthusiasts, historians, architects and students alike.

“Now everyone can enjoy these amazing drawings and historical documents and learn more about how the railways made Britain what it is today.”

While the drawings date from the earliest days of the railway they are still useful operational records today, as many show information such as foundations and original construction details.

With only a small section of the five million articles available for the first phase of the virtual archive, visitors are invited to ‘ask the archivist’ questions about the collection.

The website also has social media sharing functionality, which encourages people to share images with their friends and families. For information, visit www.networkrail.co.uk/ virtualarchive.