Joseph Mallord William Turner, Rain, Steam, and Speed -- The Great Western Railway, oil on canvas, 1844 (National Gallery, London) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker Rain, Steam, and Speed -- The Great Western Railway was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844. It depicts the Maidenhead Railway Bridge (completed (1838) looking east, across the River Thames? between Taplow and Maidenhead.