Swindon Works was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1843 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It served as the principal west England maintenance centre until closed in 1986. In 1835, Parliament approved the construction of the Great Western Main Line between London and Bristol by the Great Western Railway (GWR).

On 25 February 1841, GWR directors authorised the establishment of the railway works in Swindon. This followed Locomotive Superintendent, Daniel Gooch's recommendation of Swindon as the ideal place for GWR’s central repair works. Construction started immediately and a new Swindon was born.

Swindon Railway Works opened in January 1843 as a repair and maintenance facility for the new Great Western Railway. By 1900 the works had expanded dramatically and employed over 12,000 people. At its peak in the 1930s, the works covered over 300 acres and was capable of producing three locomotives a week.

At its peak in 1925, the workforce at Swindon numbered over 14,000. The works remained in use by GWR, and following the nationalisation of the railways, by British Rail, until it closed in 1986. At its peak, the works was famous for producing equipment for all the GWR needs.

The Works Heritage Trail guides you around Swindon’s beautifully preserved Railway Village, through the Tunnel and around the former GWR Works – the original industrial heart of Swindon.

STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway, also known as Swindon Steam Railway Museum, is housed in part of the former railway works in Swindon, England – Wiltshire's 'railway town'. The 6,500-square-metre (70,000 sq ft) museum opened in 2000. [1]

The Great Western Railway works in Swindon were established in 1841, to provide a central repair facility for the various locomotives which had been sourced to run on the railway line from London to Bristol, whose construction had begun in 1840.

Mar 9, 2012 · At the beginning of the 20th century the Great Western Railway's (GWR) engineering works, located at Swindon, by then the largest town in Wiltshire, was one of the largest of railway factories in the world. Yet only 60 years before the site had been green fields below a small hilltop market town.

Swindon Works is located in Swindon and was opened by the GWR 1843. It served as the principal west England maintenance centre until it was closed in 1986. In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of the Great Western Main Line between London and Bristol by the Great Western Railway (GWR...

Jan 6, 2025 · The GWR continued to concentrate most of its manufacture, repair, and servicing operations in respect of engines, wagons and passenger carriages in one location, Swindon. In that, it was unique for a large railway company of the day.