Description
The Great Western Society was offered the use of the Didcot Motive Power Depot site and took it over in 1967. The society has a comprehensive collection of ex Great Western Railway (GWR) locomotives and rolling stock. There are two short lengths of running track, each with a station at both ends.
The shorter of the two lengths – the 'branch line' – has a wayside halt station named Didcot Halt at one end while at the other end is the transshipment shed dating from broad gauge days, when it was used for transferring goods from broad to "narrow" (i.e. standard) gauge rolling stock and vice-versa. It has been carefully moved and reconstructed from its original site nearby. This is where the broad gauge (7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm)) Firefly replica, completed in 2005, can normally be found.
The other length of track has a pre-fabricated concrete station platform (from Eynsham) at one end next to the entrance, and a newly built platform at the other end. Long-term plans include the reconstruction of the Brunel-designed building from Heyford station on this platform.
The site retains many original GWR features including the engine shed, turntable pit and coaling stage from the 1932 rebuilding. The turntable itself is a Ransomes & Rapier example, built for the Southern Railway and used 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 mentioned above, a 'Saint' class locomotive (using a 'Hall' class chassis and boiler) and a 'County' class locomotive (using a 'Hall' class chassis and an LMS '8F' class boiler).
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 southern and central England. Wheelchair and pram access is practically nonexistent; they have to be carried up a flight of concrete steps. Although this contravenes the Disability Discrimination Act, the Great Western Society is unable to improve it since the site is owned by Network Rail.
Read more about this topic: Didcot Railway Centre
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