Swindon Works

Swindon was a hilltop market town at the beginning of the 1800s. Swindon would forever be changed when the GWR built a railway from London to Bristol passing a few miles north of the town.

In 1841, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Sir Daniel Gooch had determined the location of the Great Western Railway’s Locomotive Repair Facility. The legend of the ham sandwich is believed to be the moment Swindon’s future was set. Brunel declared to Daniel Gooch, “Wherever this sandwich lands we'll build our locomotive repair facility.”

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Swindon works built some of the finest steam locomotives ever seen varying from the 28xx class freight locomotives and humble pannier tank engines, to legendary engines such as '3440 City of Truro', '4073 Caerphilly Castle' and '6000 King George V'.

The works was sadly closed in 1986 after its 150th anniversary. However, that didn't stop the site from still doing work on locomotives, with the frame for GWR no.7200 and a number of locomotives being maintained and restored in 'J' shop between 2000 and 2006. 

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The design uses a stylised steam locomotive driving wheel to represent the moment Swindon's future was changed forever. Swindon works' legacy lives on to this day. Swindon built steam locomotives are still in service across the country on heritage railways and mainline excursions.

Its former works buildings remain a focal point for the town in the MacArthur Glen designer outlet and STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway.