Didcot Railway Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Didcot Railway Centre

Locomotives 5051, 29 (visiting), 2999, 3738, and others sitting in front of the engine shed.
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Established	1967
Location	Didcot, Oxfordshire, England
Type	Operational Railway museum
Key holdings	GWR 6000 Class No.6023 King Edward II GWR 4073 Class No.4079 Pendennis Castle GWR Firefly Class Firefly
Owner	Great Western Society (site leased from Network Rail)
Public transit access	Didcot Parkway

The Didcot Railway Centre is a cool railway museum and a place where old trains are fixed up. It's located in Didcot, Oxfordshire, England. This spot used to be a big shed for Great Western Railway (GWR) steam engines.

History of the Didcot Railway Centre

The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a famous railway company in England. It was started by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a brilliant engineer. His idea was to connect London to New York City using trains and ships.

To make money, the GWR also carried passengers and goods all over England. This led to the railway being called The Great Way Round by some people.

Why Didcot Was Important

The railway line from London Paddington to Reading was quite straight. But to reach Bristol, the railway needed to go further north. This was because of traffic to and from Oxford and the Midlands.

Also, a powerful landowner didn't want the railway on his land. So, Swindon became the next best place for a railway junction. This meant the line to Oxford also had to go through Didcot. The GWR built its first railway line through Didcot in 1839. A station opened there in 1844.

Building the Engine Shed

Because Didcot was a key point on the railway, it became a good place to fix and store locomotives. In 1932, the GWR built a large new engine shed here. It had four tracks for trains and a repair shop. There was also a big turntable to turn the engines around.

During World War II, an ash shelter was added. This shed was very important for keeping the trains running.

How it Operated

After World War II, the site stayed much the same. It was still a busy place for maintaining steam locomotives. Many different types of engines were kept here.

When the Shed Closed

In the 1960s, new diesel trains started to replace steam engines. Because of this, the Didcot engine shed was no longer needed. It closed in June 1965.

Saving the Railway Centre

The Great Western Society (GWS) is a group that loves old trains. In 1967, they were given the chance to use the old Didcot engine shed. They worked hard to save the site and its history.

For many years, the society had a lease that could be ended quickly. This made it hard to plan for the future. But in 2011, the Great Western Society signed a new 50-year lease with Network Rail. This means the Didcot Railway Centre is safe for many years to come!

What You Can See and Do

Reconstructed mixed-gauge track, showing both standard and broad gauges.

A Travelling Post Office carriage.

A model of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's atmospheric railway, with part of the original pipe.

Today, the Didcot Railway Centre is a lively museum. It's a place where you can see working steam locomotives and learn about railway history. It's also a workshop where old trains are repaired and even new ones are built!

When you visit, you enter near the old coaling stage, where coal wagons used to go up. You can see the original 1932 engine shed and the repair shop. There's also a large turntable that was moved here from Southampton Docks.

The centre often has special events. You can see steam trains and diesel railcars in action. The Great Western Society also builds new trains that were once scrapped. For example, they built a replica of the Firefly locomotive.

There's also a small museum and archive on site. It's run by the Great Western Trust and has many interesting railway items.

The Railway Centre is so historic that it's been used in movies! You might have seen it in films like Anna Karenina, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and The Elephant Man.

Riding the Trains

The old broad-gauge transfer shed, now a station building on the branch line.

The broad-gauge transfer shed in its original spot, with the provender store behind it.

The centre has three short railway lines where you can ride:

• Branchline: This line starts at a small station called Didcot Halt. It runs north to Burlescombe Station, which is next to the old transshipment shed. This shed was used to move goods between different types of railway tracks.
• Broad Gauge Line: This special line has wider tracks, just like the very first GWR lines. It starts at the transshipment shed. The replica GWR Fire Fly locomotive runs on this line.
• Mainline: This line starts at the Main Line Platform. It runs along the eastern side of the centre to Oxford Road Station. This station has a platform from an old station called Eynsham.

How to Get There

The Didcot Railway Centre is surrounded by active railway lines. You can only get there by walking from a special subway at Didcot Parkway station. This station connects Didcot to London and other parts of England.

For a long time, it was hard for people using Wheelchairs or prams to get in because of steps. But in 2023, work began to build a ramp to make it easier for everyone to visit.

Train Collection

The Didcot Railway Centre has a fantastic collection of old trains. These include steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, and many different types of carriages and wagons.

Steam Locomotives

The centre has many steam engines, from small shunting engines to large express passenger locomotives. Some are ready to run, while others are being repaired or rebuilt.

Class	Number (& Name)	Image	Status	Notes
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-4-0ST	No.1 Bonnie Prince Charlie		Static Display	Built in 1949 for moving wagons in docks.
GWR 1340 Class	1340 Trojan		Operational.	Built in 1897. It returned to service in 2021.
GWR 2900 Class	2999 Lady of Legend		Operational	A new train completed at Didcot in 2019, using parts from an older engine.
GWR 4073 Class	4079 Pendennis Castle		Operational	Built in 1924. This engine came all the way back from Australia in 2000!
GWR 6000 Class	6023 King Edward II		Static Display	Built in 1930. It was saved from a scrapyard and restored.
GWR Firefly Class	Fire Fly		Static Display	A working copy of a very old 1840 broad gauge engine, built in 2005.

Diesel Locomotives

The centre also has several diesel engines that helped replace steam trains.

Class	Number (&Name)	Image	Status	Notes
GWR Railcar	No.22		Operational	Built in 1940.
British Rail Class 08	08604 Phantom		Operational	Built in 1959. This engine was named Phantom.
British Rail Class 52	D1023 Western Fusilier		Static Display	Built in 1963. It arrived at Didcot in 2023 for a 5-year visit.

Other Rolling Stock

The centre has a huge collection of other railway vehicles. These include passenger carriages, special mail trains, and freight wagons.

Carriages

You can see many types of passenger carriages, from very old ones to those used more recently. Some are being restored, while others are ready for rides.

Type	Number (&Name)	Image	Status	Notes
Churchward Auto Trailer	No. 92		Restored to run with Steam Railmotor 93.	Built in 1912.
Dean 4-Wheel Third	No. 975		Restored	Built in 1902. It helps recreate a Victorian train.
Dean 6-wheel Family Saloon	No. 2511		Operational.	Built in 1894. It was saved from being part of a house!
Collett Special Saloon	No. 9002		Operational.	Built in 1940. This carriage was used by famous people like Winston Churchill and the Royal Family during WWII.

Broad Gauge Replica Carriages

These carriages are copies of the very wide trains that ran on Brunel's original railway.

Type	Number (&Name)	Image	Status	Notes
Six-Wheeled, Second Class, Broad Gauge Covered Carriage	BG1		On display	Built in 1984 to look like a 19th-century design.

Non-Passenger Carriages

These are special carriages that didn't carry passengers, like mail vans or workshop vans.

Type	Number (&Name)	Image	Status	Notes
Travelling Post Office	No. 814		Not currently operational.	Built in 1940. These trains used to sort mail while moving!
Six-Wheel Milk Tank	S4409		Operational	Built in 1931. It used to carry milk.

Wagons

The centre has many different types of wagons that were used to carry goods.

Type	Number (&Name)	Image	Status	Notes
Oil Tank Wagon	No. 795		Restored	Built in 1912. It used to carry oil.
'Rotank' flat wagon carrying trailer tank	No. 3030		Restored	Built in 1947. It used to carry beer!
"Toad" Brake Van	No. 17447		Part dismantled, stored under tarpaulin	Built in 1940. These vans were for the guard to ride in and apply the brakes.

See also

In Spanish: Centro del Ferrocarril de Didcot para niños