Image Licensing : No 5055, Lydford Castle, at Swindon Works, c1950s

EDITORS COMMENTS

This photograph, taken in the 1950s at Swindon Works, showcases the majestic Castle Class locomotive, No. 5055, as it gracefully moves onto a traverser in the A Erecting Shop. Swindon Works, located in Swindon, England, was the primary manufacturing site for the Great Western Railway (GWR), and this image offers a unique glimpse into the heart of the railway's engineering prowess. The Castle Class locomotives, designed by Charles Collett in the late 1920s, were renowned for their power and elegance. No. 5055, with its distinctive casing and large chimney, is a fine example of this iconic locomotive design. The photograph captures the locomotive in motion, the steam billowing from its chimney and the wheels turning smoothly on the traverser. The A Erecting Shop at Swindon Works was where the final assembly and fitting out of locomotives took place. The traverser, a long, flat platform on rails, allowed locomotives to be moved easily from one place to another for various maintenance and repair tasks. In this photograph, No. 5055 is being maneuvered onto the traverser, likely for some minor adjustments or repairs before it returned to service. This photograph offers a fascinating insight into the world of railway engineering in the 1950s, a time when steam power was still the dominant force in railway transportation. The Castle Class locomotives, like No. 5055, were the pride of the GWR fleet, and this image serves as a poignant reminder of the skill, dedication, and innovation that went into their design and maintenance.