DISCOVER DIDCOT RAILWAY CENTRE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: sep/oct 2025 :: RMTnews 24 Nestled beside Didcot Parkway station in Oxfordshire, the Didcot Railway Centre is a 21 acre living museum that vividly brings to life over 180 years of railway history. The Centre’s busy calendar includes days of running steam and diesel engines, but it is worth a visit when no trains are running such is the scale of the operation. Housed in the original 1932 Great Western Railway engine shed, it’s operated by the Great Western Society and run largely by dedicated volunteers. Explore a stunning collection of preserved steam locomotives including 5900 Hinderton Hall, a 1931 Hall Class engine rescued from Barry scrapyard, now on display at Didcot. The museum showcases relics of GWR life including brass nameplates, vintage posters, working platforms ticket machines, station china and other ephemera that tell real railway stories. You can also see restored rolling stock ranging from Victorian-era coaches to 1940s carriages, including the VIP saloon reputedly used by General Eisenhower. You’ll also encounter freight wagons—from banana vans to gunpowder trucks—illustrating the crucial role of goods traffic. The Centre also houses DISCOVER DIDCOT RAILWAY CENTRE A living museum of the Great Western Railway story Trains run past the picnic area