Frank

Frank - Photographer, Marketing Volunteer, Museum Steward, Guide and Education Volunteer

My mother probably started my interest in railways when she discovered that she could keep me entertained for hours, at no cost, by taking me to the footbridge at Southall to watch the trains. I then met up with Angus Davis, one of the future founders of the Great Western Society (GWS), when we were about 10 years old, and in the same class at Norwood Green Primary School in Southall.

We used to take ourselves to central London for a day’s trainspotting around the great terminal stations – Paddington, Euston, St Pancras, King’s Cross – in the mid 1950s. Then after the eleven plus examination Angus went on to Isleworth Grammar School, where he met other future founders of the GWS, and I went to boarding school in Surrey, exiled in Southern Electric territory.

After I left school I joined the committee of the GWS, initially as secretary, and from 1968 for 10 years as editor of Great Western Echo. So I have watched the society evolve from its earliest days.

I believe one of our earliest strokes of genius was to adopt the name Great Western in 1962, when British Railways was doing its best to destroy any hint of GWR heritage lingering within BR Western Region. Can you imagine any other large organisation allowing a bunch of schoolboys to hijack one of its most potent brand names?

The other stroke of genius was to adopt a strategy of building Didcot Railway Centre as the home of everything Great Western.

That is a strategy we have pursued for half a century to build a little world where the past really does come to life.

I am always amazed at the amount our volunteers have achieved. From beautifully restored locomotives, carriages and wagons, to the landscaping that makes the railway centre an attractive place to walk around. Historic buildings have been re-erected, and Brunel’s broad gauge railway lives on. It has all been done with a light touch to preserve the authenticity rather than emulate a theme park.

The recent installation of Swindon Panel has introduced computers to the railway centre in a big way to simulate the signalling of a large part of the GWR London to Bristol line in the 1980s. Again it is an amazing achievement by a group of volunteers to preserve technology in use from the 1960s which is still used at locations on the modern railway. Controlling the trains on the panel is addictive and appeals to some of our younger visitors because it is like playing a computer game, but on a keyboard 9 metres long!

The Museum and Archive is a haven of scholarly focus. A day spent stewarding the museum is sure to bring interesting conversations with our visitors who test our knowledge with questions on many topics that the Great Western Railway raises. You never know what’s coming next!

The first step to becoming a volunteer is to join the Great Western Society - the Charity that runs Didcot Railway Centre.

We need volunteers to carry out all types of tasks - see the opportunities across our departments here.

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