Swindon Collection

7 King Class Locomotives at Swindon Shed, 1930
From l-r: No 6005 King George II, No 6008 King James II, No 6017 King Edward IV, No 6020 King Henry IV, No 6022 King Edward III, No 6023 King Edward II, No 6024 King Edward I

Men leaving Swindon Works, Rodbourne Road entrance, 1928
Hoards of men leaving Swindon Works, Rodbourne Road entrance, 1928. The pattern shop is in the background and an omnibus with Arkells advertising on it

No 92220 Evening Star
2-10-0 9F class locomotive, built 1960. Evening Star was the last mainline British Railways steam locomotive to be built in Britain at Swindon Works. Withdrawn 1965

Swindon Works, 1908
View of Swindon Works looking towards the turntable and Erecting Shop

No 92220 Evening Star, in steam
2-10-0 9F class locomotive, built 1960. Evening Star was the last mainline British Railways steam locomotive to be built in Britain at Swindon Works. Withdrawn 1965

City of Truro 4-4-0 City class steam locomotive, No 3440, 1903. This locomotive was designed by William Dean for the Great Western Railway and built at Swindon in 1903

No D1053 Western Patriarch - Western Class Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive
Class 52 locomotive seen here outside Swindon Works

Building Diesel Locomotives in Swindon
Engineers nearing completion on the first of 35 2, 700 hp diesel-hydraulic locomotives built at the Swindon Works for the Western Region

AE Erecting Shop, 1927
First batch of King class locomotives under construction

Swindon Town Station, c. 1960
This station was originally on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway and was situated in Swindons Old Town. Seen here with a BR Southern Region locomotive

Swindon Works Map c.1940
Map of Swindon Works showing the offices, workshops and tracks around the site. The inset box depicts the comparison between the site in 1846 and the site in the 1940s

County Ground Art - Swindon Town
Watercolour painting of the County Ground, home of Swindon Town F.C. 1896 - current day. Stadium capacity 15, 728. Original painting size 20" x 16" created in 1998 by Kevin Fletcher

AV Boiler Shop, c1920s
Boiler suspended vertically from crane

7 King Class Locomotives at Swindon Shed, 1930
From l-r: No 6005 King George II, No 6008 King James II, No 6017 King Edward IV, No 6020 King Henry IV, No 6022 King Edward III, No 6023 King Edward II, No 6024 King Edward I

Swindon Mechanics Institute Pantomime poster, February 1860
This pantomime poster is an early example of the type of performances that took place at the GWRs Mechanics Institute in Swindon

Swindon Works Broad Gauge Wagon Dump, 1892
Dozens of wagons can be seen here lined up at Swindon Works waiting to be scrapped. The GWRs broad gauge came to a final end in May 1892

AW Wheel Shop, 1947
Re-wheeling of a locomotive

Castle Class locomotive No. 7022, Hereford Castle at Swindon Shed, c. 1960
4-6-0 locomotive built 1949

A man and woman carrying out work on a steam hammer during WW2, 1942
A man and woman carrying out work on a steam hammer during WW2 in the GWR Swindon Works, 1942. The man is wearing a blacksmiths apron

View of Swindon Works, 1982
A view of Swindon Works in 1982 with an Intercity 125 speeding past on the main London to Bristol line. The building it is passing is now STEAM - Museum of the GWR

Swindon Works Trip, 1931
GWR families from Swindon wait in line to board the trains for Trip week. Destinations included Weymouth, Weston Super Mare and Cornwall

North Star in Swindon Works, c1925
2-2-2 broad gauge locomotive

View of Swindon Works, c1860
This early photograph of the Works was taken from St Marks Church and shows R Shop (Machine Shop). Hundreds of wheels can be seen stored outside ready to be fitted to vehicles

No 6000 King George V outside Swindon Works
4-6-0 King class locomotive. Built 1927

New Swindon, 1847
Lithograph of New Swindon in 1847 with broad gauge locomotive, Fire Brand, in foreground. Swindon Works can be seen to the right on the image, with the Railway Village to the left

No 92220 Evening Star naming ceremony, 18th March 1960
2-10-0 9F class locomotive, built 1960. Evening Star was the last mainline British Railways steam locomotive to be built in Britain at Swindon Works. Withdrawn 1965

Mechanics Institute Theatre, c1931
View of the theatre and main stage. This shot was taken after the theatre was destroyed by a fire in 1930. The arch around the stage was rebuilt in an art deco style

No 7 Shop, Carriage Finishing Shop, 1924
Dozens of men can be seen here in the carriage finishing shop. It was here that parts of the carriages were finished off. Doors

New Swindon, c1860
This early view of Swindon looking north shows the Works and the Railway Village in their infancy. St Marks Church can clearly be seen just behind the newly laid out park

No 5055, Lydford Castle, at Swindon Works, c1950s
Castle Class locomotive, Lydford Castle, can be seen here moving onto traverser in A Erecting Shop at Swindon Works

No 5028 Llantilio Castle outside Swindon Works
4-6-0 Castle class locmotive. Built 1934

King George V with a Borough of Swindon headboard, 1974

Swindon Station, 1930
Two GWR publicity omnibuses sit outside Swindon Junction station in 1930, promoting the companys tourist route

First Class Refreshment Rooms, Swindon Station, c. 1840s
This illustration shows a number of ladies and gentlemen in the First Class Refreshment Rooms at Swindon Junction Station, c.1840s

Swindon Works War Work, 22nd January 1942
Female worker machining a 25 PDR shell on 22 January 1942. Munitions work issued by Ministry of Supply

View of Swindon Station, c. 1880s
This image of Swindon Junction station was taken before the change of gauge in 1892. Mixed gauge can be seen on the centre/left tracks

Swindon Station Staircase to Platforms, 1970
This photograph shows the staircase at Swindon station leading to Platforms 1, 2 & 3, taken on 28th January 1970

View of Swindon Station, 1895
This image was taken to mark the occasion of the abolition of the ten minute stop at Swindon. It was the first non-stop express through the station

View of Swindon Station, c. 1890s
This photograph shows Swindon Junction Station in Wiltshire, looking towards Bristol, c.1890s. The station became known as simply Swindon Station after Swindon Town station closed in the 1960s

Locomotives awaiting to be scrapped at Swindon Works, 1962
No 4085, Berkeley Castle, and No 5090 Neath Abbey can be seen in the line-up

Queen Mary on the footplate of No 4082 Windsor Castle, 1924
King George V and Queen Mary visited Swindon Works in April 1924. They arrived and departed on Windsor Castle. Charles Collett (Chief Mechanical Engineer) can be seen leaning out of the cab

Mechanics Institute Luncheon, July 1908
This luncheon was held in the Reading Room of the Mechanics Institute. George Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR

Mechanics Institute, 1933
This view of the Mechanics Institute shows the entrance to The Playhouse Theatre. The fly tower for the theatre can be seen in the centre of the building

Medical Fund Society Dental Surgery, 1947
The dental rooms were situated on the first floor of the Milton Road building. The Medical Fund Society in Milton Road housed swimming baths, Turkish and Russian Baths, a dispensary and a dentist

No 4 Shop, Carriage Body Shop, 1946
These men are working hard helping to construct a Hawksworth coach body. Each piece of timber and frame had its own place and slotted in with exact precision

No 4 Shop, Carriage Body Shop, 1913
The large expanse that is the carriage body shop can be seen here. Several carriage bodies can be seen lined up as they are assembed

J Shop - Iron Foundry, 1951
Casting cylinders

K Shop - Coppersmiths, 1938
Making domes and saftey valve covers

AW Wheel Shop
Journal Lathe

AV Boiler Shop, c1920s

AM Machine Shop, 1934
Shows Butlers axlebox planing machine

AE Erecting Shop, c1927
Construction of a King class locomotive

AE Erecting Shop, c1927
King class boiler being lowered on to driving wheels

Swindon Town Station, c. 1920
Swindon Town station was originally on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway and was situated in Swindons Old Town. This image shows the Wiltshire station in around 1920

Swindon Works Trip, c1910
GWR families from Swindon wait in line to board the trains for Trip week. Destinations included Weymouth, Weston Super Mare and Cornwall

Men leaving Swindon Works, Rodbourne Road entrance, c. 1910
Men leaving Swindon Works, Rodbourne Road entrance, c.1910

V shop, c1930
Rivetting a firebox

F Shop, Steam Hammer Shop, c1930s

Purton Station, Wiltshire, 1952
A view of Purton Station in Wiltshire, looking towards Swindon, taken on the 15th March 1952. The image shows the Victorian station building. The station opened in 1841 and closed in 1964

No. 16 Ambulance train at Rushy Platt, Swindon 1915
No.16 Ambulance train was built at Swindon Works in 1915 and was paid for by the United Kingdom Flour Millers Association. It was equipped with patient beds, a pharmacy and treatment rooms

Postcode Sector Map sheet 6 Avon and Wiltshire
This Postcode Sector Map (sheet 6) displays all of the first part of the postcode and the first number of the second part, or Inward Code, (eg EX20 3) for Avon and Wiltshire

Swindon Junction Station, April 1946
This photograph, taken in April 1946 shows Saint Class No. 2927, Saint Patrick, standing in Swindon Junction station. A number of goods wagons are on the left side of the image

Apprentice Training School, Dean Street, Swindon, 1963
Young apprentices with Senior Instructor Geoff Webber

Medical Fund Society Offices, c. 1930
Behind the scenes at Swindons GWR Medical Fund, a range of work was undertaken including record keeping in the Societys offices on Milton Road

Mechanics Institute, c1920

Apprentice Training School, Swindon - 1972 intake

Apprentice Training School, Swindon - 1975 intake

B Shed in about 1900
A small group of men stand in a building known as B Shed. It was used for the maintenance of tank locomotives and tenders. B Shed stood next to what is now STEAM Museum of the GWR

First Class Refreshment Rooms at Swindon Station, c. 1890s
A view of the interior of the First Class Refreshment Rooms at Swindon Junction Station, c.1890s. Every passenger train that passed through Swindon until 1895 had to stop for at least 10 minutes to

Swindon Station, c. 1920
A view of Swindon Junction Station in Wiltshire, c.1920, showing a mixture of activity on the platforms. Swindon Junction opened in 1842

Swindon Station Entrance, 28th January 1970
An external view of Swindon Station entrance taken 28th January 1970. The original station building was demolished in 1972 and replaced with a more modern building and office block

Staircase and Main Entrance, 28th January 1970
This photograph shows the staircase leading to the underpass at Swindon Station and the stations main entrance on 28th January 1970

King George V entering the cab of No 4082 Windsor Castle, 1924
King George V and Queen Mary visited Swindon Works in April 1924. They arrived and departed on Windsor Castle

Stage production at the Mechanics Institute
The cast of the stage production A Trip to Juja posing in front of the stage of the Mechanics Institute Theatre

Fashion Show in the Mechanics Institute c. 1920s
Fashion Show in the Mechanics Institute c.1920s

GWR Park, c1890s
This images shows the formal gardens, park-keepers lodge and greenhouses

Mechanics Institute Band, c1900
The Mechanics Institute provided a huge social and educational facility for GWR employees and their families. Musical performances were a big part of this

Medical Fund Dispensary Waiting Room, c1910
The Medical Fund Society in Milton Road housed swimming baths, Turkish and Russian Baths, a dispensary and a dentist. It was built in 1892

Medical Fund Hospital Operating Theatre, 1947
The Medical Fund Hospital was established in 1871. It had a number of facilities including an operating theatre

Medical Fund Hairdressing Room, Milton Road, c1910
This hairdressing room was sitauted at the Milton Road buildings. The Medical Fund Society in Milton Road housed swimming baths, Turkish and Russian Baths, a dispensary and a dentist

Medical Fund Dispensary, 1947
This large dispensary was sitauted on theground floor of the Milton Road building. The prescriptions were handed out through hatches to people in the waiting rooms adjacent

Medical Fund Hospital staff and patients, c1890
The Medical Fund Hospital was established in 1871. It opened due to a increase in the size of Swindon Works and the number of accidents occuring

Large Swimming Bath, c1905
These baths were situated in the Medical Fund Society at Milton Road. The large coloured window at the end was made by Mr T Rice, an employee of Swindon Works

Medical Fund Hospital, c1910
The Medical Fund Hospital was established in 1871. The central part of the building was originally the XI Wiltshire Volunteer Rifle Corps armoury. This contained the operating theatre and ward

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Swindon, a town steeped in railway history and innovation. In 1930, the Swindon Shed proudly housed seven King Class Locomotives, showcasing the engineering prowess of the era. Among them was No 92220 Evening Star, an iconic steam locomotive that stood tall and powerful. Speaking of Evening Star, it was a sight to behold when in full steam. Its majestic presence captured the imagination of all who witnessed it chugging along the tracks with grace and power. A true symbol of Swindon's rich locomotive heritage. The roots of this heritage can be traced back to Swindon Works in 1908. It was here that remarkable creations like City of Truro were born - a magnificent 4-4-0 City class steam locomotive that left its mark on history in 1903. But Swindon's expertise didn't end with steam engines; they also excelled at building diesel locomotives. The likes of No D1053 Western Patriarch - a Western Class Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive - showcased their ability to adapt and innovate as technology advanced. Throughout the years, Swindon Works remained bustling with activity. The North Star graced its premises around c1925 while the AE Erecting Shop hummed with productivity since 1927. Men leaving through Rodbourne Road entrance in 1928 painted a picture of hard work and dedication etched into every corner of this industrial hub. Beyond railways, art found its place within Swindon too. The County Ground Art depicting Swindon Town added vibrancy to everyday life – capturing both local pride and artistic expression seamlessly intertwined. And let us not forget about Swindon Town Station circa 1960 – an important transportation hub connecting people from near and far, facilitating journeys filled with excitement or reunions brimming with joy. Swindon is more than just a town; it is a testament to human ingenuity, perseverance, and the power of progress.