Didcot Railway Centre

See the steam trains from the golden age of the Great Western Railway in the original engine shed, with a recreation of Brunel's broad gauge railway and a typical country branch line.

There is a reconstruction of Brunel's original broad guage railway with a replica of the "Fire Fly" locomotive built in 1840 and a country branch line has been created. On Steamdays, there are rides on the steam trains. Follow the Archie the Engine Driver trail to find out what there is to see. Families activities during holidays.

Educational Visits

Didcot Railway Centre offers pupils an exciting opportunity to visit an historical site where they can learn, and gain hands-on experience, about many topics in the science, technology and social history aspects of the curriculum at stages 1, 2 and 3.

Experiences

Steam Train

• Experience the feel of travelling on a steam train. Enjoy the luxury of the 1930s Great Western Railway. Contrast it with the hardship of travel in our third class Victorian carriage.
• Discover how the guard and driver operate the train.
• Climb onto the footplate of a Great Western locomotive and learn about the skills of a driver and fireman.
• Sit in the open carriage behind the locomotive ‘Fire Fly’, one of the engineering wonders of the 1840s.
• Discover the impact the railways had on the environment and on social history.

WW II Evacuee

• Come dressed as an evacuee and visit our authentic air-raid shelter with wartime audio effects and artefacts. Be evacuated by steam train (steam days only).
• Presentations available about life in wartime Britain covering food, clothes and rationing.

The Coming of the Railway

• Learn about the impact of the railway on your town. Includes a presentation covering the social and economic effects of the railway on the population and the response to the new technology (most local, and some other towns, covered).