Museum of the Great Western Railway facts for kids
Brunel and North Star
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| Established | 2000 |
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| Type | Industrial museum |
| Key holdings | Locomotives of the GWR |
| Public transit access | Swindon railway station |
STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway is an exciting museum in Swindon, England. It's also known as the Swindon Steam Railway Museum. This museum is built inside part of the old railway works, which was once a huge factory for trains. The museum opened its doors in the year 2000 and covers a large area of about 6,500 square meters.
Contents
The Museum's Home: A Historic Railway Workshop
The STEAM Museum is located in a very old engineering workshop. This building was constructed around 1842. It was made using strong stone from the Box Tunnel. This workshop was part of the famous Swindon Works of the Great Western Railway.
The Swindon Works was one of the biggest railway factories in the world. It operated for many years, from 1843 until 1986. At its busiest, the works covered over 300 acres of land. It could even build three new locomotives every single week!
Today, most of the old factory buildings are now a shopping center. It's called the Swindon Designer Outlet. You can also find the main offices for the National Trust and English Heritage nearby.
What You Can Discover at the Museum
The museum has many cool exhibits about railway engines and train cars. But it also tells the amazing story of the people who worked on the railway in Swindon. You can listen to recorded stories from real railway workers. There are also old films to watch.
You'll see lifelike displays showing people working and interacting. The museum explains how locomotives were built. It also shows how other railway equipment and the tracks themselves were made. You can learn about the history of the Great Western Railway. Plus, you'll discover the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He was a famous Victorian engineer. He designed the original Great Western Railway.
There are lots of hands-on exhibits and interactive displays. You can even meet former railway workers. They love to share their personal stories about the exhibits.
The museum has recreated different work areas. These include an office, stores, a workshop, a signal box, and a foundry.
The museum also keeps a huge collection of books, photos, and plans. These all relate to the Great Western Railway.
Where to Find the Museum
The STEAM Museum is close to Swindon's town center. It's right next to the Swindon Designer Outlet. You can find it using the map coordinates SU 143848.
The Museum Before STEAM
Before STEAM opened, there was a smaller museum. It was called the GWR Museum. This museum opened in June 1962. It was located on Faringdon Road. This was just south of the old railway works.
The GWR Museum was in a restored building from the 1850s. This building used to be a place for railway employees to stay.
The old GWR Museum had five locomotives on display. These included North Star, 3717 City of Truro, 4003 Lode Star, Dean Goods 2516, and pannier tank 9400. It also had train nameplates and models. Two rooms were dedicated to Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Daniel Gooch.
Amazing Train Collection
The STEAM Museum is home to several locomotives. These trains were built for the GWR before 1948. Two of them are the very first trains of their kind. Most of these trains are part of the UK National Collection.
Here are some of the locomotives you can see:
- GWR Star Class North Star: This is a replica of an early broad gauge locomotive. It's part of the National Collection.
- GWR 2301 Class 2516: This train was built in 1897. It is also part of the National Collection.
- GWR 2800 Class 2818: Built in 1905. This locomotive is now owned by the STEAM Museum.
- GWR 3700 Class 3717 City of Truro: Built in 1903. This train is famous for possibly reaching 102.4 mph in 1904. It is on loan from the National Railway Museum.
- GWR 4073 Class 4073 Caerphilly Castle: Built in 1923. This train is part of the National Collection.
- GWR 4200 Class 4248: Built in 1916. It is displayed to look like it's being worked on in the factory.
- GWR 6000 Class 6000 King George V: Built in 1927. This train is also on loan from the National Railway Museum.
- GWR 7800 Class 7821 Ditcheat Manor: Built in 1950. You can see this train displayed in the nearby Swindon Designer Outlet.
- GWR 9400 Class 9400: Built in 1947. This train is part of the National Collection.
The museum also shows a small collection of Great Western train cars and other railway equipment.
Images for kids
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Female boilersmiths working at Swindon Works in 1943
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Carriage building
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A horse dray, used for carrying goods
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A Scammell Scarab vehicle
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Caerphilly Castle on display
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A station scene with 4003 Lode Star
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GWR 3700 Class 3440 City of Truro locomotive
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GWR 2800 Class 2818 locomotive
See also
In Spanish: Museo del Great Western Railway para niños
