The museum is housed in a restored Grade II listed railway building. This was part of the old Swindon Works of the Great Western Railway, which was one of the largest in the world and operated from 1843 to 1986. In its heyday, it covered more than, and could turn out three locomotives per week.
The museum
Apart from many exhibits of interest to railway engine and rolling stock enthusiasts, it tells the social story of the railway community in Swindon, with recorded personal experiences and film archives. Lifelike exhibits show people at work and human interactions. There are exhibits explaining the construction of locomotives, of railway equipment and of the railways themselves. It also tells the history of the Great Western Railway and the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous Victorian engineer, who masterminded the Great Western Railway. There are many hands-on exhibits and interactive displays. Enthusiastic ex-railway workers are on hand, to give a personal insight into many of the exhibits. There is a series of reconstructions of areas of work, such as office, stores, workshop, signal box and foundry. The museum holds a massive archive of books, periodicals, photographs, drawings and plans, relating to the Great Western Railway.
The 1962 Great Western Museum, Swindon had five locomotives on display, North Star, 3717 City of Truro, 4003 Lode Star, Dean Goods 2516 and pannier tank 9400 in the Churchward Gallery. In addition it had a selection of nameplates and some models and ephemera. Two rooms were dedicated to Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Daniel Gooch respectively.
Collection
The museum is home to several GWR pre-nationalization-era locomotives, two of which are the first members of their respective classes. The majority of these are part of the UKNational Collection.
GWR 2301 Class 2516 – Built in 1897 part of the National Collection
GWR 2800 Class 2818 – Built in 1905 and previously a part of the National Collection. In 2017 the locomotive was deaccessioned from the National Collection and ownership was transferred to the STEAM Museum.
GWR 4073 Class 4073 Caerphilly Castle – Built in 1923 on static display, part of the National Collection
GWR 4200 Class 4248 – Built in 1916 on static display, largely dismantled to look like a locomotive in the works.
GWR 6000 Class 6000 King George V - Built in 1927 on static display, arrived alongside 3717 City of Truro. On loan from the National Railway Museum as a replacement for 4003 Lode Star & The GWR Railcar.
