Abstract
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (IKB) applied the atmospheric railway, which had been used in Ireland since 1844,to the new line from Exeter to Teignmouth of the South Devon Railway (SDR) in 1847. In the atmospheric railway, the power was supplied to the trains by the suction of a piston in a huge tube laid along rails. In order to the suction power is supplied from the engine house, trains could run quietly, cleanly and cheaply, and suit to the steep gradient truck, but there were some mechanical defects : the airtight valve made of metal and leather was frozen and deterioration of the leather, and corrosion of the metal. The SDR had to pay to operate and maintain the railway systems and decided to replace them by a locomotive-hauled railway in 1849.
