Archaeologist Gary Evans working in an inspection pit used by the Great Western Railway - Philip Toscano.

Victorian railway foundations laid by Isambard Kingdom Brunel have been uncovered for the first time in a century by engineers working on the Crossrail project.
 
Remains of train turntables, a workshop, and a 200 metre long engine shed dating from the 1850s were uncovered near London's Paddington Station.
 
The buildings were used for Brunel's Great Western Railway, a broad gauge railway which carried its first steam trains in 1838, but were levelled in 1906 to make way for a storage yard.
 
Starting in 2018 the area to the east of Westbourne Park underground station, known as Paddington New Yard, will host Crossrail tracks and sidings as well as a replacement facility for 150 buses and a cement factory.
 
The historic engine shed foundations reveal evidence of the shift in use from 7 foot wide broad gauge train tracks, used by the Great Western Railway, to standard gauge tracks which were prescribed by Parliament in 1846, a change initially opposed by Brunel.
 
The engine shed, measuring 202 metres long with four tracks and inspection pits, was built at Westbourne Park ahead of the opening of Brunel's new Paddington station in 1854.
 
The 45 foot turntable, dating from 1881-1882, was built at the Great Western Railways works at Swindon before being installed at the western entrance to the engine shed.
 
A wrought iron turning circle within the brick foundations allowed both broad and standard gauge engines to be turned, allowing them access to the shed.
 
Crossrail workers are using laser scans to create 3D computerized models of the buildings to preserve the historical evidence of Brunel's work and of the early development of railways in Britain.
 
Jay Carver, Crossrail's Lead Archaeologist said, "Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway is the most complete early mainline railway in the world. Whenever we expose parts of the original infrastructure it is vital to record these for posterity and the history of rail in this country. Using the latest 3D scan technology provides a permanent and accurate model of Brunel's distinctive architectural legacy."
 
Nick Collins.