10. The Didcot Railway Centre

This is one of the best railway heritage centres for Great Western Railway steam locomotives.

The collection is housed in the old-original GWR engine shed at Didcot.

Didcot Railway Centre is great heritage centre to visit for some splendid nostalgia of the old GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY, the GWR - 'God's Own Railway'!, of which no mean residue is kept in the ex GWR Didcot locomotive depot.

Didcot Railway Station in 2010, a very busy station (even if it doesn't look it at this instant in time!) with commuter trains to London Paddington Station, with First Great Western running express passenger trains to the south-west e.g. Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Penzance and a surprising and pleasing number of freight trains passed through (a few pictures at the bottom of the page).

An old boiler with all its steam tubes showing!

A general view of Didcot 'engine shed' yard - ex BR/GWR locomotive depot with the GWR coal stage on the left.

Didcot shed, ex GWR locos and the giant 'breakdown' steam powered crane and the water pump on the right. The crane can be used for breakdown situations, derailments, track laying, lifting boilers from a locomotives chassis etc. etc. and all done by steam!

The ex GWR Coal tower - the coaling stage for re-fuelling the steam locomotives.

Green liveried 0-4-0T saddle tank locomotive 1340 TROJAN. This engine was owned by the Alexandra Docks & Railway Company, it was built in 1897 by the Avonside Engine Company, Bristol, and rebuilt at Swindon in 1903 and sold by the GWR in 1932 for industrial use.

GWR Collett design Class 5700 0-6-0PT pannier tank engine 3650 was built at Swindon Works in 1939 for shunting duties.

Green liveried 0-6-0 tank engine 3650

The big crane!

The steam boiler that powers the crane.

0-4-0 saddle tank engine 1340

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The rather exposed cab of 1340 !

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The GWR attractive brass number plate of 3822

Black liveried 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive 3822, a member of the GWR 2884 class (development of the 2800 class), designed Collett and built at Swindon in 1940.

3822

Black liveried 0-6-0PT pannier tank engine 3738 is also a member of the GWR 5700 class, designed by Collett and built at Swindon in 1937 - this was the slandered GWR shunter.

0-4-0 saddle tank engine BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE - origin?

Ex GWR 0-6-2T tank engine Collett design Class 5600 locomotive 6697 built by Armstrong Whitworth in 1928.

Ex GWR Collett design 1400 CLASS 0-4-2T tank engine locomotive 1466 or 4866 (current number!) built at Swindon Railway Works in 1936.

4-6-0 passenger locomotive 6998 BURTON AGNES HALL belongs to the 6959 Class - Modified Hall Class - and was built at Swindon Works in 1949 - just into the British Railways 'BR' era.

6998 BURTON AGNES HALL

4-6-0 passenger locomotive belonging to the 7800 CLASS - MANOR CLASS, the engine above is 7808 COOKHAM MANOR built at Swindon Railway Workshops in 1938.

0-4-0 W.T. Co. No 5 SHANNON

4-6-0 passenger locomotive 5900 HINDERTON HALL

4900 CLASS locomotive 5900 HINDERTON HALL, a member of the ex GWR Hall Class designed by Collett and a development of Churchward's 'Saint' Class locomotive and built at Swindon Works in 1931 and beautifully turned out today in a fully restored state - excellent!

Collett designed 6100 CLASS locomotive 6106, this 2-6-2T tank engine was built Swindon Works in 1931 and the only one of its class to survive!

Saddle Tank locomotive  0-4-0ST 1338 was built by Kitson & Company, Airedale Foundry, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire in 1898. Engine 1338 was rebuilt at Tyndall Street Works in 1916 for the Cardiff Railway.

Collett development of the Churchward 3100 Class, 2-6-2T tank locomotive 4144. Engine 4144 was built at Swindon Works 1946 and looking very nice in green livery and polished brass chimney rim.

The signal box from Radstock set up on the stretch of line used on steam gala days.

The signal box and water tower and level crossing - the latter also from Radstock Junction.

There is carriage and wagon display section including one of the very first diesel rail cars to run in Britain. On the left is W 22 W a GWR diesel railcar built by the GWR in 1941 for rural branch lines.

The carriage display, storage and restoration centre at Didcot - the grey carriage is the driving cab of the nifty transverse system using a single rail system of getting carriages in and out of the multi-rowed carriage shed. This 'traverser' is near the very good picnic area.

The turntable.

The locomotive works at Didcot - the loco repair and restoration workshop.

4079 PENDENNIS CASTLE undergoing extensive restoration work.

Diesel shunter 604 PHANTOM in GWR style number plate and name plate!

604 PHANTOM

General view of the engine shed interior and the ash pits.

DL 26 0-6-0 diesel shunter

DL 26 diesel shunter

Another (smaller) breakdown or track laying lifting crane.

First Great Western express passenger trains and diesel freight locomotives and freight trains

A bird of prey was circling above the car park at Didcot Station - Red Kite?

 

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