Didcot Railway Centre

20/10/2026

Our Tuesday Treasures this week from the Great Western Trust collection examine the wreck of the Herzogin Cecilie. To read the full blog please click on the link: https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/product.php/77/tuesday-treasures?fbclid=IwY2xjawVEA21leHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMU9SQTlYSVpBeTRrbVFMNkhzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeMFnBZlxxufk3FCzb95vaor8Mqt8P5gCvzd8LMTqtr9oIW59iT90MtxU5-fY_aem_EXVaTaBgcTVzeuGpB7FGxA and scroll down to Tuesday 20 October.

On 25 April 1936 whilst en route to Ipswich in thick fog with a cargo of grain from Australia, the Herzogin Cecilie grounded on Ham Stone Rock. She was refloated and towed to Starehole Bay near Kingsbridge and beached there.

Ever alive to the opportunity of running excursions to see unusual sights, on Sunday 10 May 1936 the Great Western Railway ran a special train from stations between Exeter and Newton Abbot to Plymouth (Millbay) for a four hour trip (probably on one of the GWR’s tenders used for transferring passengers and luggage from ship to shore), to view the wreck. Although, mercifully, no lives were lost on the ship, such an excursion might today be regarded as slightly macabre and in rather bad taste. Having lived through the Great War, folk were much less sensitive about such things back then.

18/10/2026

80 years ago today, on Friday 18 October 1946, Castle class 4-6-0 No 5091 ‘Cleeve Abbey’ left Swindon Works having been the first passenger locomotive to be converted to oil-burning. This photograph shows the locomotive during the conversion process, with the rear set of driving wheels removed for alterations to the fire grate required for oil burning. In the left background is Wantage Tramway locomotive No 5, recently preserved by the Great Western Railway and awaiting restoration before being exhibited at Wantage Road station*.

Coal was still in short supply and the experiments with converting freight locos to oil-firing had been satisfactory. The government was impressed and expressed a wish to see 1,217 locos from British railway companies converted to oil to save 20,000 tons of coal a week. It was planned that 172 GWR locomotives would be converted but the programme was never completed due to changes in the supplies of coal and oil.

‘Cleeve Abbey’ was put to work on passenger trains between Paddington and Bristol. 5039 ‘Rhuddlan Castle’ and 5083 ‘Bath Abbey’ were also converted in December 1946, while 5079 ‘Lysander’ and 100 A1’ Lloyds’ followed in January 1947. No 5039 was reported to be working Paddington to Worcester return trips and that the oil burners were not extinguished during the five hours turn-round time despite there being no refuelling services at Worcester. The five oil-burning Castles were all converted back to coal between September and November 1948.

*Wantage Tramway No 5 is now preserved at Didcot Railway Centre, on loan from the National Railway Museum, York.

18/10/2026

After a busy weekend on the rails, Flying Scotsman is tucked in for the night at Didcot Railway Centre.
A little rest, then full steam ahead early tomorrow! 🚂

17/10/2026

On this day in history – 17 October 1879, the Severn Bridge was formally opened with the first train exploding detonators placed at each of the 21 spans. At the opening Sir Daniel Gooch entertained VIPs including Vice-Consuls from the USA, the German Empire, France and the Netherlands at a celebration banquet at Sharpness.

The detour round the Severn estuary via Gloucester had been an annoyance for travellers, and in 1863 the Bristol & South Wales Union Railway started a ferry service. Various bridge schemes were developed between 1870 and 1872, one with a roadway as well as a railway, but this was opposed by the Great Western Railway. The chosen scheme saving around 30 miles involving a railway from Sharpness to Lydney was approved in 1872 although work didn't start until 1876. Building work at nights was helped by the very early use of electric floodlighting.

A swinging span 197 feet long and weighing 400 tons was worked by a steam engine to allow passage of vessels through the adjoining Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. Over 7,000 tons of cast and wrought iron went into the structure which was built on cast iron cylindrical columns driven into bedrock and filled with concrete. The river's currents and tides made construction very difficult and uncompleted sections had been washed away and needed divers to salvage them.

This photograph, shows the bridge with Severn Bridge station in the foreground. This is on the Lydney side of the river – Sharpness is on the opposite bank.

To test the feasibility of an alternative route for heavy trains during maintenance closures of the Severn Tunnel, the bridge was stress and clearance tested on 15 and 22 July 1956 using Castle class 4-6-0s No 5018 ‘St Mawes Castle’ and No 5042 ‘Winchester Castle’. The locos first hauled a 500 ton ballast train onto the bridge and then made several runs over it.

A foggy night on 25 October 1960 brought about the end of the bridge when two barges carrying oil and petrol were swept down the river and crashed into a pier bringing down two spans and causing a fire. The structure was removed in 1970 helped by a massive floating salvage crane ‘Magnus II’ with a lifting capacity of 400 tons, which had been hired from Hamburg, Germany.

16/10/2026

On this day in history – 16 October 1863, Board of Trade Inspector Captain Rich inspected the new Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway which opened three days later. At first this was a single line that was later doubled. Next came the Wellington & Market Drayton Railway opened on 1 November 1867 and which was worked by the Great Western Railway. This gave the GWR a new route north between Wellington via Market Drayton and Nantwich from where running powers over the London & North Western Railway led to Crewe.

There were 13 stations and halts on the line between Wellington and Nantwich which became known as “The Gingerbread Line” supposedly because of the baking of the product at Market Drayton, midway between the two towns. Passenger services ceased on 9 September 1963 and freight services ended on 8 May 1967.

15/10/2026

We’ve got a train-load of trouble on our hands… the pumpkins have started arriving, and they’re already trying to take over the locomotives! 👀🎃

Clearly, they’re chuffed to bits to be here. We suspect they’re getting ready for their starring role on the Pumpkin Express!

We’re preparing for a smashing autumn adventure for families, little monsters and railway enthusiasts alike.

📅 24 Oct - 1 Nov
🎟️ https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/product.php/1379/the-pumpkin-express-steam-days

14/10/2026

🚂 See the Flying Scotsman depart from Didcot Parkway this Sunday

Join us at Didcot Railway Centre on Sunday 18 October, when we’ll open early at 8am for visitors wishing to watch the iconic locomotive depart from Didcot Parkway.

Once Flying Scotsman has departed, make the most of your visit by exploring our 22-acre site and stepping into the age of steam, with historic locomotives and railway heritage to discover.

Our refreshments room will open at 9am, serving hot drinks and breakfast.

Sunday 18 October
🕗 Early opening: 8am
☕ Refreshments room: 9am

We look forward to welcoming you to Didcot Railway Centre.

Living Museum Of The Great Western Railway

13/10/2026

This month in history, October 1892, Wolverhampton Works outshopped brand new locomotive No 2007, an 0-6-0 saddle tank of the “850” class. These were a numerous class of small locomotives, of which 170 were built between 1874 and 1895. Most were rebuilt with pannier tanks from 1910, but No 2007 was one of the few which retained the saddle tank throughout her life until she was withdrawn in December 1949.

This photograph shows the locomotive early in her career, with the crew watching the photographer. Note the coal pick balanced on top of the bunker and the driver’s bag, containing his lunch, hung on a hook on the side of the bunker.

13/10/2026

Our Tuesday Treasure this week from the Great Western Trust collection is a track gauge. To read the full blog please click on the link: https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/product.php/77/tuesday-treasures and scroll down to Tuesday 13 October.

This very fine track gauge would have been used by a permanent way inspector. It came to the Great Western Trust through the Robinson bequest.

11/10/2026

120 years ago today, on 11 October 1906, the Great Western Railway ran one of its ‘Barnardo’s Special’ trains from Paddington to Birkenhead for Liverpool Docks, to then board a sailing to Canada. This train was for 105 boys and around 100 girls from Barnardo’s Homes across the country. 16,000 Barnardo’s children had already been sent to Canada by this time.

Before they left, the children were assembled in the GWR boardroom where a director of Barnardo’s gave a speech in which he urged the children to be a credit to their Homes. He wanted the Canadians to be able to say, as they had done for other children, that this party would be straightforward, honest, honourable and hard-working. As the train left Paddington a band played “Auld Lang Syne”.

In 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologised on behalf of the United Kingdom to those affected by the large-scale emigration of orphaned children to the Empire.

This photograph shows Barnardo’s children about to leave Paddington station. The carriage destination board is lettered ‘Dr Barnardo’s Canadian Emigration Party London To Liverpool’.