Britain’s Great Western Railway (GWR) may be experiencing delays and overspends with its electrification of the London-Bristol route, but it is not alone in its woes.

Letters from the railway’s founder Isambard Kingdom Brunel, to be auctioned at Chippenham Auction Rooms, reveal that the Victorian engineering giant suffered similar misfortunes 179 years ago.

Two handwritten letters from Brunel will go under the hammer at Chippenham, Wiltshire, on Saturday (April 29).

In the documents, Brunel writes to his engineer leading the construction of the London end of the railway to complain about a contractor working on its Reading section.

In the first letter dated July 30, 1838, Brunel discusses serving notice on the contractor William Ranger and mulls over the most advantageous date.

In the second dated August 1, 1838, he discusses Ranger’s acceptance of the notice. Brunel had criticised Ranger for delays in his men’s work.

Principal auctioneer Richard Edmonds said: “Today, we see Brunel as an icon of the Victorian age and the mastermind behind some amazing feats of engineering.

"The Great Western is one of them. It’s interesting to note that the present GWR still refers to Brunel in much of its material.

"But the reality is that Brunel was a hard-headed businessman who could be difficult to deal with.

"He was notorious for changing contracts and regularly under-paid his contractors. If there was a dispute, Brunel acted as both judge and jury.”

Commenting on the letters’ value, Mr Edmonds said: “These letters are not especially valuable – several hundred pounds each – but they do provide a fascinating insight into Brunel’s mind and offer some intriguing parallels with developments on the Great Western today. They may well pique the interest of collectors.”

The Brunel letters are part of a private collection of railwayana, which also includes Victorian paperwork, postcards, maps and catering equipment from GWR and other lines.

The Great Western Main Line was built in order to connect Bristol, England’s then second-largest port, with London.

It was later extended and the first trains arrived at Taunton Station 175 years ago in July 1842. 

The first section of the line – London to Maidstone – opened in 1838. Reading was connected to London in 1840 and the entire London-Bristol stretch was open by 1841. The line passes through Chippenham, where the auction is being held.

The Brunel letters will be on public display at Chippenham Auction Rooms on Thursday and Friday.

For more information on the auction please contact Chippenham Auction Rooms on 01249 444544 or visit www.chippenhamauctionrooms.co.uk . The sale catalogue is available to view online.