What to See and Do

Locomotives

• King Class 4-6-0 No 6000 King George V*
• 2800 Class 2-8-0 No 2818
• City Class 4-4-0 No 3717 City of Truro*
• Castle Class 4-6-0 No 4073 Caerphilly Castle*
• Replica of broad gauge engine North Star*
• 2301 Class 0-6-0 No 2516 Dean Goods*
• 9400 Class 0-6-0T No 9400 Pannier Tank*
• 4200 Class 2-8-0T 4248 (skeleton only)

Rolling Stock

• Buffet Car No 9631, 1934*
• Queen Victoria’s Royal Saloon, 1897
• Covered Goods Van (Mink Van)
• Shunters’ Truck*
• Track Inspection Vehicles
• Brake Van

Road Vehicles

• Horse Drawn Van
• Horse Dray
• Scammell Tractor and Trailer
• Lister Auto Truck
• Dennis Fire Engine*

*On loan from the National Railway Museum.

Find out more on our ‘Collections Highlights’ page.

Visitors are taken into the world of the railway worker at Swindon, passing through a series of reconstructions, carefully assembled using original equipment, supported by video and interactive displays.

The STEAM experience starts with the hushed tones of The Offices where – in the GWR’s heyday before the First World War – clerks toiled to support the workforce of over 12,000. This is followed by the General Stores – an ‘Empire within an Empire’ – which kept Swindon and the GWR supplied with everything from pen nibs to railway sleepers. As the story unfolds, visitors begin to grasp the scale of the operation needed to build and maintain the railway. At its height, the Swindon Works was producing three locomotives each week.

Moving through to the recreated Swindon Works, visitors will get a sense of the heat and grime experienced in the Foundry. Then, passing through the Carriage Body Shop – with its evocative smell of wood – the sights and sounds of the Machine Shop are evoked. Lathes, drills and slotters were used to manufacture parts to the highest standards. Visitors complete this part of their journey in the Boiler Shop – where the noise endured by the workers meant that many were deaf by the age of 30 – and the Erecting Shop.

We have plenty for all of the family to get involved with at STEAM: change the signals in our authentic GWR Signal box, be an engine driver as you step aboard our steam train simulator and even operate model railway layouts.

STEAM’s 1930s Station Platform conjures the vitality, excitement and glamour of travelling on the Great Western Railway.

Here you’ll find iconic locomotives, King George V and City of Truro.  To add to the glamour and further illustrate the opulence and elegance of GWR travel, a 1934 Buffet Car and Queen Victoria’s Royal Saloon await.

Expect to hear train whistles, doors slamming and station announcements as you are truly transported back in time.

Located on our mezzanine floor, the Wall of Names is a memorial to the men and women who worked inside the Swindon Works. It is a permanent reminder of the human aspect of the story. Visitors can also look out over the main Bristol railway line and watch the comings and goings of the modern railway network.