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additional info and history from Graham's contemporary newspaper extracts
Chief Engineer [[John Fowler|Sir John Fowler]] oversaw the construction of the Severn Valley Railway, with [[Henry Orlando Bridgeman]] responsible for day to day matters as Resident Engineer. The Contractors [[Peto, Brassey and Betts]] employed a workforce of some 900 [[Railway Navvies of the SVR|navvies]] to build the Railway<ref name=Nabarro36>[[Bibliography#Books|Nabarro (1971)]] p. 36.</ref>.
Some contemporary newspaper reports refer to Thomas Brassey's own company '''Messrs. Brassey & Co''' as the Contractor,<ref>Shrewsbury Chronicle, 29 June 1859 via the [https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk British Newspaper Archive]</ref><ref>Derbyshire Courier, 3 September 1859 via the [https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk British Newspaper Archive]</ref> while other contemporary newspaper reports refer to '''Brassey and Field''' as Contractors.<ref>Eddowes’s Journal and General Advertiser for Shropshire and the Principality of Wales, 9 March 1859 via the [https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk British Newspaper Archive]</ref><ref>Hereford Times, 28 May 1859 via the [https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk British Newspaper Archive]</ref> Brassey appears to have been the most active of the three main contractors once construction began; at the half-yearly shareholders meeting on 1 August 1860 the Chairman noted that"''...by their arrangement with Mr Brassey some delay might arise in opening the line''." Field worked in partnership with Brassey on a number of other railway projects including [[Albert Edward Bridge]].
==1858==
