The Great Western Railway Works (GWR)

It is impossible to over-estimate the effect of the Railway Works on Swindonians past and present. It has inevitably left its mark on XTC as everyone else in Swindon. It is the obvious place to start with when talking about Swindon. (See also Swindon on the Bungalow site) The physical size of the factory dominated the town itself, and the power of this employer in an almost totally one-factory town cannot be overstated. The Railway Works dominated EVERYTHING for nearly a hundred and fifty years.

I haven't counted how many of my own ancestors worked there, but it must certainly be in three figures. It is of course the same in all local families.

Before 1948, the railway system in the UK consisted of four big companies, each controlling its own geographical area, and a main line from there into London. The Great Western Railway covered the area west of London, into South Wales and down into Cornwall - the south-western tip of England. The first and always the most important part of the line was the link between London and Bristol. Swindon was (and of course, still is) on this line. It is at a junction where the line also branches off to Gloucester, Cheltenham and on to the Midlands.

I have seen the description of Swindon as simply a "railway junction", which is a great injustice. Even neutral railway enthusiasts would find it difficult to argue with the fact that Swindon was the home of the finest railway workshops in the world - the main workshops of the world's finest railway - The Great Western Railway.

The Works built and repaired all the locomotives and rolling stock, but also made almost everything the railway (ie the lines and stations) needed - right down to the tickets, signs, and even artificial limbs for disabled employees! They never bought anything ready-made; they only ever bought raw materials, and made everything themselves. Try to imagine how many thousands of things a railway needs. Now imagine a factory capable of producing it all.

Even though the shear scale of the operation is impressive enough, Swindon was famed for the quality of everything it made. Everyone knew that the company would never accept anything but the very best. The GWR always had the reputation for being that little bit special. Everyone used to say that GWR stood for "God's Wonderful Railway".

The building at the bottom left of the photo is the erecting shop (called 'A' shop). This is where the locomotives were put together. At one time, it was said to be the largest building in the world covered by a single roof.