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Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet (24 August 1816 – 15 October 1889) was an English railway locomotive and transatlantic cable engineer. He was the first Superintendent of Locomotive Engines on the Great Western Railway from 1837 to 1864 and its chairman from 1865 until his death in 1889.
Between 1865 and 1885 Gooch was Conservative MP for Cricklade.
He trained in engineering with a variety of companies, including a period with Robert Stephenson and Company, in Newcastle upon Tyne, as a draughtsman. At the age of 20 he was recruited by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway, under the title "Superintendent of Locomotive Engines", taking office on 18 August 1837.
While working in Newcastle he met his future wife, Margaret Tanner, the daughter of Henry Tanner, a Sunderland shipowner. He stayed in touch with Margaret when he moved south to work for Brunel.
As the only reliable locomotives that the company had at that time, they were the basis of the GWR Star Class. He and Brunel improved the blastpipe arrangement of the North Star to improve its fuel efficiency. Eventually Gooch moved on from the Star class and designed the new GWR Firefly Class of Whyte notation express passenger locomotives, introduced in 1840. (1987). 9780850598193, Stephens. ISBN 9780850598193
In comparative trials by the Gauge Commissioners, Ixion of this class proved capable of speeds greater than its challenger. In 1843 Gooch introduced a new form of locomotive valve gear. (1987). 9780850598193, Stephens. ISBN 9780850598193
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 GWR Iron Duke Class of Whyte notation locomotives, which were able to achieve . Much renewed, they lasted to the end of the GWR broad gauge era. (1987). 9780850598193, Stephens. ISBN 9780850598193
Although Gooch's locomotives were principally for the broad gauge, between 1854 and 1864 he also had to design a number of standard gauge classes for the GWR's new Northern Division. At the end of September 1864, he resigned from his post of Locomotive Superintendent, though he continued as a member of the GWR Board.
In 1865, he was recalled to the Great Western Railway Company as chairman, replacing Richard Potter in November 1865; he remained chairman until his death in October 1889, when F.G. Saunders was elected to succeed him. He was also chief engineer of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company.
In this role, he was instrumental in laying the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable, using the (1865/66). On completion of the cable, on 27 July 1866, Gooch, who was on the Great Eastern, sent a cable message to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lord Stanley, saying "Perfect communication established between England and America; God grant it will be a lasting source of benefit to our country."
It would be a great advantage to business if there were a greater number who followed my example.
In 1868, he became chairman of the Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company after John Pender, the first chairman, resigned. He led the Great Western Railway out of near-bankruptcy and took a particular interest in construction of the Severn Tunnel. Final abandonment of the broad gauge did not take place until after his death at the age of 73.
From 1850 on he was an active Freemason, holding office and founding a number of Lodges. (1987). 9780850598193, Stephens. ISBN 9780850598193
His elder brothers, Thomas, John, and younger brother William, were also railway engineers. His grandson, also named Daniel, briefly served as dog handler on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
A pub in Bayswater, London was named the Daniel Gooch; it closed in 2016. The Sir Daniel Arms, a Wetherspoons pub in Swindon, is also named after Gooch, as is Gooch Street in the same town, one of several streets built to house Great Western railway workers.
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