Oxfordshire - Didcot

Wed 18th May 2011

 Ben's Uncle Tom is a serious Railway Buff. He has his own Great Western Rail in a shed in the backyard.

Great Western Railway in the back shed

Many engines take different routes on a real GWR timetable.

Unloading a container

Containers are unloaded,

Waiting on the platform

and passengers are cared for.

Turntable

Engines change line or direction on the turntable,

Delivery trucks

while delivery trucks are busy.

Main Street

The main street is relaxed,

Tom's signal box

 and Tom is always ready to change the signal.

So you won't be surprised to find us in the Didcot Museum Railway Yard, which we entered on Tom's private key.

Tom's wife, Cynthia (Ben's cousin) is also an enthusiastic member of the Railway Museum which has restored many engines and railway artefacts.

Didcot Rail Museum

Down the line

Both Ben and I were very much at home among all these beautiful old engines.

Engine

There were little ones,

....in working order

and big ones and some surprises like "The Atmospheric Railway".

The signboard explained:-

"This 22" diameter cast iron pipe is a relic of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's flirtation with Atmospheric Traction on the South Devon Railway.

A vacuum was created in the pipe to draw the trains along.

It was not a success.

The large steam pumps at the end of the pipe could not keep the vacuum because air leaked in at so many places."

Very sad, but no doubt hardly a glitch in that amazing 19th Century engineer's career. I will soon show you his Sounding Arch in Maidenhead.

And on to the Transfer Shed with Tom and Cynthia..

Where two gauges meet

Wide gauge

Here the entire load of goods from each train would be transferred by hand from the wide gauge train to the narrow gauge.

New 'old' engine

We were both very impressed by the work done by all these volunteers to present such an exhibition.