Daniel Gooch

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Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet (August 24, 1816 – October 15, 1889) was first chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1837 to 1864 and its Chairman from 1865 to 1889.

Born in Bedlington, Northumberland, the son of an ironfounder, he trained in engineering with a variety of companies, including a period with Robert Stephenson and Company, but was aged barely 21 when recruited by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway. His earliest days with the company were a struggle to keep the miscellaneous collection of 7 ft 0¼ in (2140 mm) broad gauge steam locomotives ordered by Brunel working. Taking the best of these, the GWR Star Class (especially after he and Brunel had improved the blastpipe arrangement) as a model he designed the GWR Firefly Class of 2-2-2 express passenger locomotives introduced in 1840. In comparative trials by the Gauge Commissioners, Ixion of this class proved capable of speeds greater than its standard gauge challenger. In 1843 Gooch introduced a new form of locomotive valve gear.

In 1840, Gooch was responsible for identifying the site of Swindon Works and in 1846 for designing the first complete locomotive to be constructed there, Great Western, prototype of the the GWR Iron Duke Class of 4-2-2s which were able to achieve 60 miles per hour (90 km/h) and which, much renewed, saw out the broad gauge.

Recalled to the Great Western Railway Company as Chairman in 1865, he led it out of near-bankruptcy and took a particular interest in construction of the Severn Tunnel; however, final abandonment of the broad gauge did not take place until after his death.

He was also responsible for laying the first successful Transatlantic telegraph cable, using the SS Great Eastern (1885/86), as chief engineer of the Telegraph Construction Company, of which he became Chairman.

He married Margaret Tanner in 1838. Following her death in 1868 he married Emily Burder in 1870; she died in 1901. He was Conservative MP for Cricklade from 1865 to 1885 and in 1866 was created a Baronet in recognition of his cable work. From 1859 he lived at Clewer Park in Windsor. His brothers John Viret Gooch, Thomas Longridge Gooch and William Frederick Gooch were also railway engineers.

[edit] References

• Gooch, Daniel (1972). Memoirs & Diary. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5609-7. 
• Griffiths, Derek (1987). Locomotive Engineers of the GWR. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-819-2. 
• (September 24, 2004), Sir Daniel Gooch. Retrieved February 9, 2005.

Preceded by None	Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway 1837 – 1864	Succeeded by Joseph Armstrong (engineer)
Preceded by New creation	Gooch Baronet of Clewer Park 1866 – 1889	Succeeded by Henry Daniel Gooch
Preceded by Lord Ashley	Member of Parliament for Cricklade 1865 – 1885	Succeeded by (constituency reduced to single member)