Didcot Railway Centre

Didcot Railway Centre
Berkshire
Didcot
The engine sheds and facilities at Didcot
	Operational Railway museum
Grid reference:	SU523907
Location:	51°36’49"N, 1°14’41"W
Information
Website:	Didcot Railway Centre

Didcot Railway Centre is a former Great Western Railway engine-shed and locomotive stabling point located in Didcot, Berkshire, which today has been converted into a comprehensive railway museum and preservation engineering site.

Background

The founders and commercial backers of the GWR supported Isambard Kingdom Brunel's scheme to develop an integrated railway and steam-ship service which allowed trans-Atlantic passengers and freight quicker passage to and from London to New York. However, whilst backing the scheme the railway had to make a profit, and so it took a number of detours and added both mainline and branch line traffic to increase its domestic earnings. This earned the railway the nickname The Great Way Round from its detractors.

Whilst the route from London Paddington to Reading was relatively straight, the then obvious most direct route to Bristol would have taken the railway further south, thus avoiding both Didcot and Swindon. However, passenger and freight traffic both to and from Oxford and onwards to the Midlands in part dictated a more northerly route. Secondly Brunel had originally planned to cut through Savernake Forest near Marlborough to Bristol, but the Marquess of Ailesbury, who owned the land, objected - having previously objected to part of the Kennet and Avon Canal running through his estate. With the railway needing to run near to a canal at its midpoint - as it was cheaper to transport coal for trains along canals at this time - and with need for the branch northwards to Cheltenham by way of Stroud, Swindon was the next logical choice for the junction (and later railway works), 20 miles north of the original route. This dictated that the Oxford junction also be moved northwards, and hence via Didcot.

Construction

Didcot Railway Centre, Oct 2001

Due to the technical operational difficulties of running and maining a mainline service from London to Bristol, as well as the need for servicing locomotives going to Oxford, Didcot became an obvious midpoint maintenance and stabling point. Having built a timber-framed broad gauge shed on the original site during the railways development west in the 1800s, in June 1932 a new steel-framed half-brick 4-road through shed (210 x 67 feet), was completed by the GWR under the Loans and Guarantees Act (1929). With shed code DID, it also included a repair shop (84 x 42 feet), coaling stage (43 x 36 feet), sand furnace (10 x 10 feet) and 65-foot turntable plus associated offices (210 x 15 feet). During the Second World War, a standard steel-framed with corrugated tin-panel covered ash shelter was erected.

Operations

After the War, the site remained virtually unchanged during the nationalised ownership of British Railways, but for taking on the new code of 81E. The standard allocation of locomotives remained the same, with Halls, Dukedogs and Panniers making up the bulk of the depot's fleet.

Closure

With the replacement of steam with diesel-traction under the Beeching Axe, the shed was closed in June 1965.

Formation and site lease

The Great Western Society was offered the use of the former Didcot locomotive depot, taking it over in 1967. In the 1970s, the Society negotiated a long-term lease with British Rail which was to expire in 2019. But this was subject to a six-month termination clause which could force the Society to quit the site, and which could operated at any point in time by freeholder (now Network Rail).

In an attempt to secure a long-term future for the society, in 2002 the Great Western Society opened negotiations with Network Rail either to purchase the site or to extend the lease. In May 2007, Network Rail said they were prepared to sell the site subject to regulatory approval but thought the site might be needed again for the mainline railway, on the rebuilding of Reading station or as a Crossrail project depot, or for the Intercity Express Programme. Eventually, after much lobbying and the involvement of the local MP, the Chairman of the Great Western Society signed a new 50-year lease with Network Rail, preserving the site for at least another 50 years.

Museum and railway centre

Travelling Post Office

A reconstruction of Brunel's atmospheric railway

Today the GWS have developed the site, which still retains many of the original GWR buildings and features, as both a working steam locomotive and railway museum, engineering maintenance centre, and railway line offering short rides to visitors.

Access via Didcot Parkway station brings the visitor into the southern end of the site, at the start of the ramp coal wagons would take up to the coaling stage. Beyond this is the original 1932 four-road engine shed, and beyond this the original repair shed and 1988 constructed locomotive works, both of which have restricted access due to safety concerns. Beyond this lies a Ransomes & Rapier 70-foot turntable and pit, originally built for the Southern Railway and istalled at Southampton Docks.

The centre regularly holds events such as steam and diesel railcar days. Members of the Great Western Society are active in the preservation of locomotives and rolling stock. Certain 'new-build' projects to create locomotives that did not escape wholesale scrapping are also undertaken at Didcot, such as the completed Firefly locomotive, a 'Saint' class (using a 'Hall' class chassis and boiler) and a 'County' class locomotive (using a 'Hall' class chassis and an LMS '8F' class boiler).

Running lines

There are three short lengths of running track, each with a station at both ends:

• Branchline: starts at a typical GWR wayside halt, named Didcot Halt, and runs north on the western edge of the site towards the transshipment shed. Dating from broad gauge days, it was used for transferring goods from broad to "narrow" (which is to say standard) gauge rolling stock and vice-versa. It was moved to its present location carefully from its nearby original site.
• Broadgauge Line: the broadgauge line of 7 feet starts from the transshipment shed, and runs halfway back down the branchline. The 2005 replica GWR Firefly is housed within the shed when not running
• Mainline: starts opposite the site entrance, using a pre-fabricated concrete station platform from Eynsham, and runs on the eastern-edge of the site to a newly built platform at the other. Long-term plans include the reconstruction of the Brunel-designed building from Heyford station on this platform.

Access

The railway centre is entirely surrounded by active railway lines and has no road connection of any kind. Public access is on foot from a subway at Didcot Parkway railway station, which links the centre by rail to London and much of the southern and Midland counties.

Collection

Locomotives

Sortable table

Class	Number (&Name)	Image	Status	Notes
GWR 7800 Class	"Cookham Manor		Static Display	Built 1938
GWR 7200 Class	7202		Under Overhaul	Built 1934
GWR 6959 Class	6998 Burton Agnes Hall		Static Display	Built 1949
GWR 6100 Class	6106		Static Display	Built 1931
GWR 6000 Class	6023 King Edward II		Operational	Built 1930. Recently returned to steam for the first time in preservation. Boiler ticket expires in 2020
GWR 5700 Class	3738		Static Display	Built 1937. Out of service August 2013 due to boiler crack
GWR 5700 Class	3650		Operational	Built 1939. Boiler ticket expires 2018
GWR 5600 Class	6697		Static Display	Built 1928
GWR 5205 Class	5227		Static Display	Built 1924. One of the Barry Ten, it was purchased in 2010 to provide parts for the construction of the new-build GWR 4700 Class No. 4709. After donating its axleboxes and fourth axle to the project, it moved to Didcot in 2013 following storage at a private site. Currently on display in ex-scrapyard condition as a reminder of the challenge that preservationists had to conquer. The boiler is to be used for the GWR 3800 Class new-build project.
GWR 5101 Class	4144		Dismantled	Built 1946
GWR 4900 Class	5900 Hinderton Hall		Static Display	Built 1931
GWR 4575 Class	5572		Static Display	Built 1929
GWR 4300 Class	5322		Operational	Built 1917. Boiler ticket expires 2018
GWR 4073 Class	4079 Pendennis Castle		Under Overhaul	Built 1924. This locomotive was repatriated from Australia in 2000 after spending 22 years in the country.
GWR 4073 Class	5051 Earl Bathurst]]		Static Display	Built 1936. Formerly named Drysllwyn Castle.
GWR 2900 Class	2999 Lady of Legend		Under Construction	Originally built 1929. Using components from No. 4942 Maindy Hall.
GWR 2884 Class	3822		Static Display	Built 1940. Appeared in the ‘’Queen’’ music video Breakthru.
GWR 1400 Class	1466		Static Display	Built 1936. This was the first locomotive bought by the society.
GWR 1361 Class	1363		Dismantled	Built 1910
GWR 1340 Class	1340 Trojan		Static Display	Built 1897. Ex-Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway. Painted in GWR green livery
GWR 1000 Class	1014 County of Glamorgan		Under Construction	Built 1946
GWR Iron Duke Class	Iron Duke		Static Display	Built 1985. Replica of early Broad Gauge 4-2-2. On loan from the National Railway Museum.
GWR Firefly Class	Firefly		Operational	Built 2005. Replica of early Broad Gauge 2-2-2
GWR Railcar	No.22		Operational	Built 1940
GWR 18000	18000		Static Display	Arrived 29 July 2011. Owned by Pete Waterman
George England 0-4-0WT	No.5		Static Display	Built 1857, latterly owned by the Wantage Tramway. After inspection, too much original metalwork would need to be replaced to be brought back into working order.
Hunslet 0-6-0ST	No. 2409 King George		Under Overhaul	Built 1942. Currently being restored and rebuilt into a Thomas the Tank Engine lookalike.
Kitson & Co. 0-4-0ST	No.1338		Static Display	Built 1898. Ex-Cardiff Railway
RS&H 0-4-0T	No.1 Bonnie Prince Charlie		Static Display	Awaiting overhaul. Painted in lined light green livery.
British Rail Class 14	D9516		Operational	Built 1964. Bought from the Wensleydale Railway in 2014.
British Rail Class 08	08604 Phantom		Operational	Built Derby Works as D3771, allocated to: Longsight (9A) June 1959; Stockport Edgely (9B) July 1959; Longsight (9A) April 1965, unofficially named Ardwick; renumbered 08604 February 1974; stored Swindon Works 1981; Tyseley TMD February 1984, unofficially renamed Javelin, officially then named Phantom; Bescott November 1988; Derby Etches Park November 1992; withdrawn in July 1993. Sold to GWS and moved to DRC September 1994

Other rolling stock

The GWS has an extensive supporting collection of GWR rolling stock, including three of the GWR Super Saloons that serviced the boat train traffic to Plymouth.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Didcot Railway Centre)

• Didcot Railway Centre
• Listed building information:
  • National Heritage List 1389009: Coaling Stage, Grade II
  • National Heritage List 1385232: Engine Shed, Grade II
  • National Heritage List 1368768: Transfer Shed, Grade II

References

• SU523907