Railway Centre

Rob Leslie · Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 1103 Location: UK Swindon

Didcot Railway Centre
Takumar f1.7 50mm

Takumar f2.8 28mm
28mm

Takumar f1.7 50mm

To show I have no bias this one was my Canon G5

Lots more on my Blog
http://roblesliephotography.blogspot.com/

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Wow! Second one is really nice !

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

I do like number 2 for the effect, but number 4 for the loco itself.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

My boy is jealous; he's still an enormous railroad fan, and all these remind him of Thomas the Tank Engine !

Katastrofo · Expire: 2013-11-19

#2 for me, excellent!

Rob Leslie · Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 1103 Location: UK Swindon

Swindon Railway Museum’s ‘Broad Gauge’ Engine. I was told this one isn’t a replica but was rebuild from a scrap and spare parts.

Another Shot of the ‘Brunel Steamer’

Both of these shots were taken a couple of years ago.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

#2 my favourite!

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

I've seen your frontal shot of the North Star before but it still looks fantastic! There's a pub called the North Star near the GWR main line at Iver. It's signboard is this loco.

For interest, here's a few slides I took at Didcot in August 1979.

And my son aged 5 on the footplate of Burton Agnes Hall. He doesn't look too happy Smile

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Very nice quality shoots, slides kept colours very well.

poilu · Expire: 2019-08-29

superb train series Rob & Peter!

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

Thanks, but Rob takes all the credit. My pictures were just snapshots.

I want to tell you the story of my involvement with the railway centre at Didcot. It starts in the early 1960's when I was at school in Southall, West London. The main Great Western Railway line from Paddington to the west of England and Wales ran very close to the school, you could hear the trains quite loudly, and I often used to skip Physics or (particularly) Latin and go and watch them. There was a long footbridge over the lines at Southall, and it was great fun to stand right above one of the lines as a big engine came puffing along and get yourself covered in soot and smoke!

I had a friend at school who was even more fanatical about Great Western engines trains than me. I lost touch with him for quite a time after we left school, but in the late 60's or early 70's we bumped into each other again. By that time all the old steam locomotives had been replaced with diesels, and he told me he was involved with an organisation aiming to save many of the old steam engines from the scrapyard and restore them. Of course I was interested and I asked him if I could be involved as well. I thought I could fulfil my childhood ambition of becoming an engine driver. Smile

No such luck! As soon as I'd joined and they discovered I could use a theodolite and level, I was given the job of restoring and laying new track, what they call the "permanent way" department. I wasn't even allowed to polish the brass on the engines, let alone drive one! Smile

The organisation I joined is the Great Western Society. They'd taken over some redundant track and a few old sheds behind the main line station at Didcot, which is a major junction for trains going to Oxford and further North. It was all very dilapidated in the early days and there was a huge amount of work to do. Didcot is about 50km from my home and I used to go down on a Saturday for a working weekend and camp overnight.

I had a great time there until I started working in London in 1981 and it just became too much. I was really pleased to see Rob's pictures and see how well they're getting on. If you look closely you can see at least one engine from my days is still being steamed.

Thank you for the pictures Rob, I must get down to see the museum at Swindon one day soon.