Didcot Railway Centre

Om museet

Didcot Railway Centre stands on the site of a Great Western Railway locomotive depot. A timber broad gauge shed was built here in the 19th century, and in 1932 the railway completed a new steel-framed four-road shed, with a coaling stage, repair shop and turntable. Steam gave way to diesel traction in the 1960s and the depot closed in 1965.

The Great Western Society, a volunteer charity, took over the use of the site in 1967 to house the locomotives and rolling stock it had been rescuing from scrapping. Over the following decades the society developed it into a working railway museum with a demonstration line, a branch line, a museum, carriage and wagon displays, a coal stage and a turntable. The society still runs the centre, and in 2011 it signed a 50-year lease on the site with Network Rail.

The collection concentrates on the Great Western Railway and its heritage, from replicas of Brunel's broad gauge trains to express steam locomotives, with a museum of smaller railway objects. Some locomotives and carriages are open to visitors, and on steam days there are train rides included in the admission price. The centre is reached through the ticket hall and subway of Didcot Parkway station, and an access ramp opened in 2023 to 2024 as a first stage of improving access.

Højdepunkter

• 1932 engine shed with preserved locomotives
• Working coal stage, the only surviving example of its kind
• Replicas of Brunel's broad gauge locomotives and carriages
• Steam train rides on running days
• Museum of Great Western Railway objects
• Section of Brunel's atmospheric railway pipe

Permanente udstillinger

• Locomotives and rolling stock – Preserved Great Western Railway steam and diesel locomotives, carriages and wagons, including replicas of Brunel's broad gauge trains.
• Museum – Smaller railway objects such as ticket machines, nameplates and posters from the Great Western Railway era.

Grundlagt

1967

Ejer

Great Western Society

Entrépriser & rabatter

Prices for 2026 depend on the type of day. Without Gift Aid, Discovery Days (no trains) cost £12 for adults, £7.50 for children, £9 for over-65s and £35 for a family; limited run days £14, £8, £11 and £40; steam and heritage diesel days £18.50, £11, £16.50 and £55. The Gift Aid prices are higher (for example £13.50 for an adult on a Discovery Day), as they include a donation of 10 percent or more. Admission includes free train rides on running days. Great Western Society members enter free on most open days; special offers cannot be used for galas or Steam into Christmas.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator: ingen oplysninger
• Handicaptoilet
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

An access ramp from the station subway is open to all visitors, but access to some of the heritage vehicles is limited; wheelchair users are asked to read the detailed access guide and call the centre before visiting. Accessible toilets are near the shop and refreshment rooms. Blue Badge parking is available near the station entrance. Assistance dogs are welcome, including in the café.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops
• Interaktive stationer
• Barnevognsvenlig
• Puslerum
• Legeplads / legehjørne
• Børnefødselsdage

The centre has a play area next to the picnic area and a children's section in the shop. Family tickets are offered, and special family events include Pumpkin Express and Steam into Christmas with Santa's grotto. Children's birthday parties can be booked as group visits. Baby changing is in the accessible toilet. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Transport & parkering

The centre is signposted from the M4 (junction 13), the A34 and the M40. Do not use the centre's own postcode in a satnav, as it leads to a housing estate on the other side of the railway; follow the brown signs to the multi-storey car park instead. Visitors tell the ticket barrier staff at the station that they are visiting the centre, and may need to show their tickets when they leave.

Service & spisesteder

• Café
• Restaurant: findes ikke
• Museumsbutik

The Engine Shed café (the refreshment rooms) serves hot food until about 14:00, plus pasties, sausage rolls, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, cakes and some gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options. There is a picnic area beside the play area. The shop is open on all open days and houses a rare 1905 Lamson cash railway.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje

The centre offers its site and facilities for film and television filming.

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