Didcot Railway Centre

Travel back in time to the golden age of the Great Western Railway and savour the sights, sounds and smells of steam as you explore this 21-acre living museum with trains dating from Victorian times to the 1960s.

Come and see the towering Coal Stage, which is the only surviving working example of a type of building once commonplace at locomotive sheds.

Explore the 1932 Engine Shed and discover 15 or more preserved locomotives. Climb onto the footplates of those where stairs are provided and imagine yourself in the shoes of a driver or fireman.

See fascinating smaller artefacts in the Museum. From a platform ticket machine to brass nameplates and distinctive posters, the Museum is full of exhibits recalling the heyday of the Great Western Railway.

Take a look at the Locomotive Turntable which is used to ensure that tender locomotives, in particular, are facing in the direction of travel.

See magnificently restored coaches in the Carriage Display with Coaches dating from Victorian times to the 1940s bygone eras.

See the pipe from Brunel’s innovative Atmospheric Railway, a remarkable artefact from Brunel’s experiments with alternative traction and discover the earliest days of railways with the Broad Gauge and Transfer Shed.