Locomotive works

The locomotive works is where most of the restoration of the engines is carried out. In the works there is a selection of machines, these enable most of the machining to be done in-house, as can be seen in the photograph. Another item in the work is a wheel drop, for removing wheels without lifting the whole engine, this has been used by several mainline engines that have had problems in the area and needed to call in. Also here is one of the Swindon walking cranes which it is hoped can be errected, these were seen all around Swindon works moving parts, mainly in machine shops.

Locomotives can be seen in various stages of there restoration so it is well worth a visit to see how they go together. At the time of writing, May 2000, the locomotives include 7202, 3822, 5322, Maindy Hall, King Edward II, 3650, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and the replica broad gauge locomotive Firefly. As with most items of stock at Didcot the location can not be guaranteed as they will be moved around as jobs need doing.

All photographs ©Mark Baldry