Didcot Railway Centre

Didcot Railway Centre, which serves as the home of the Great Western Society, is situated on a relatively small parcel of land in Didcot. Nevertheless, the site manages to accommodate one of the most extensive locomotive collections held by any heritage railway group in the UK.

The episode is a short programme that turns its lens on the Didcot Railway Centre, the headquarters of the Great Western Society. Set within the world of heritage railways, the feature presents the centre as a focal point for enthusiasts who gather around the Society’s activities and its preservation work. Although the site sits on a comparatively modest parcel of ground, it somehow manages to accommodate an impressively extensive fleet of locomotives. The collection is large enough to rank among the biggest held by any heritage railway group, making the centre a noteworthy repository of rolling stock despite its limited footprint. The contrast between the centre’s small physical footprint and the breadth of its locomotive holdings underscores how efficiently the space is used. It demonstrates the Society’s commitment to safeguarding railway history, fitting a substantial number of historic engines into a constrained area. This ability to host such a sizable assemblage on a limited site highlights the centre’s role as a key custodian of Britain’s rail heritage, reinforcing its status within the network of heritage railway organisations.