Coleford Great Western Railway Museum facts for kids

Coleford GWR Museum

The Coleford Great Western Railway Museum is a fun place to visit in Coleford, Gloucestershire, England. It's a special museum all about trains and railways. The museum first opened its doors in 1988. It is located in an old building that used to be a goods shed for the Great Western Railway (GWR). This shed was part of the Coleford Railway line.

The museum tells the story of all the railways in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. This history goes all the way back to the early 1800s when the very first simple train tracks, called plateways, were built. It also covers the time up to the 1970s when the Dean Forest Railway started. You can learn about other important railways too, like the Wye Valley Railway, the Severn & Wye Railway, and the Monmouth Troy railway station.

What You Can See at the Museum

The museum has several interesting parts to explore. You can see the old goods shed, which is where trains used to load and unload items. There's also a signal box from the Great Western Railway. A signal box is a building where people controlled the train signals and switches.

Trains and Tracks

Outside, you can find a miniature railway, which is a smaller train ride. There's also a short section of real train track. On this track, you can see a special steam locomotive. It's called a Peckett 0-4-0ST locomotive, and its number is 1893. This type of engine was used for shunting, which means moving wagons around. Next to it are some old train carriages and wagons that used to belong to the Great Western Railway.

External Links

• Coleford GWR Museum Website