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The age of steam is past, the heyday of Swindon Works is long gone – but the legend lives on. What made the Great Western Railway’s Swindon Works iconic? Was it its worldwide reputation; perhaps its profound impact in shaping the new town of Swindon; or that it melded those who worked there into one big family? In a new and exciting format, this book, by popular railway historian Rosa Matheson, helps explain why the never-ending love story endures. With big facts and fascinating stories, it is a must read not only for ex-Works employees and their families, nor just for GWR fans and railway enthusiasts, but also for any newcomer seeking to find a good way into railway history.
This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the Swindon Works have changed and developed since the 1940s.
From 1841, when the Great Western Railway began building its works at Swindon, to 1986, when the works were closed, Swindon was a railway town
A new study looking at the Swindon works in the transition period between the GWR and BR (Western) ownership.
The British Railways ‘Pilot Scheme’ orders of 1955 included six North British Type 2 diesel-hydraulic locomotives, these being introduced during 1959 for use on the Western Region. Without operational experience, a further fifty-two locomotives were delivered between 1959 and 1962. The fleet survived intact until 1968, when half of the class was withdrawn due to declining traffic levels across the UK, with successive National Traction Plans progressively selecting the less successful, non-standard and ‘numerically-challenged’ classes for removal from traffic. All fifty-eight locomotives were withdrawn by New Years Day, 1972. This book, the second of two, builds on the overview of the class provided in Volume 1, and makes extensive use of available archive material and the personal observations of numerous enthusiasts. Previously unpublished information, covering the performance issues of these locomotives, form a central focus, together with details of fire incidents and accidents. Liveries and detail differences are given in-depth treatment to illustrate that there really were reasons and a logical progression behind the complicated series of design modifications applied to the Class. Volume 2 concludes with sections on storage, withdrawal and final disposal.