Broad Gauge Steamdays

On Broad Gauge Steamdays, you will be able to:

• Experience Brunel's grand vision of how rail travel should be as you journey, 1840s style, behind replica broad gauge locomotive - 'Fire Fly' either 3rd Class (no roof) or 2nd Class (roof but now windows)
• Enjoy added attractions such as our Travelling Post Office demonstration, our fully working signal boxes, signal box talks or perhaps riding in our 1940-built diesel railcar (some added attractions will only run on certain days - See bottom of Calendar page for details)
• Ride in coaches from the 1930s behind some of our Great Western steam locomotives. We have two running lines, 'The Main Line' and 'The Branch Line' with trains normally running on either or both of them. You may ride as many times as you like as there is no extra charge
• Watch the trains go past. There are frequent journeys on our running line so you will have plenty of opportunity to take photos from vantage points alongside the tracks as well as ride on the trains
• See the turntable in use. We normally turn a locomotive just after lunch
• Inspect our collection of over twenty Great Western Railway steam locomotives, and a diesel railcar dating from 1940, housed in and around the original 1932 engine shed or under repair in the locomotive works
• Discover our Great Western carriage collection which, with over forty vehicles covering the period from the 1880s through to the 1950s, is probably the most comprehensive of any of the pre-nationalisation railways. We also have great variety of goods wagons on display
• Look around our displays including a re-creation of Brunel's broad gauge railway, branch line with restored buildings and signalling, turntable and more
• Experience an air-raid in the 1940 built World War II Air Raid Shelter
• Learn from the interactive displays in the Science, Learning and Railways exhibition coaches
• See the wide variety of smaller items once used by the Great Western Railway in the Great Western Trust Museum (normally closed for update of displays from January to March)
• Visit our shop and refreshment room
• Relax in our picnic area.