Didcot Railway Centre

The Great Western Railway was incorporated in 1835 to build the railway from Bristol to London and it was designed and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to be the finest in the land.

Now, at Didcot, half way between Bristol and London, members of the Great Western Society have created a living museum of the Great Western Railway. It is based around the original engine shed and depot to which have been added a typical branch line with a country station and signalling demonstrations and a recreation of Brunel's original broad gauge trackwork. There is a large collection of GWR steam locomotives, carriages and wagons. On Steamdays the locomotives come to life and you can ride in the 1930s trains on one or both of the demonstration lines and on special events in our programme on Brunel's broad gauge railway behind a newly built replica of the fire Fly locomotive originally built in 1840.

In the Locomotive Works a number of locomotives can be seen in various stages of overhaul including No. 4079 Pendennis Castle, repatriated from Australia in 2000, and King class No. 6023 which is being rebuilt to its pre-1957 condition with a single chimney.

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