The Great Western Trust Road Vehicle Display

Throughout the duration of the Great Western Railway there was a significant emphasis on the transfer of goods and passengers to and from their railway stations resulting in large numbers of horse drawn and motorised vehicles. From the early days of the GWR horse drawn drays were provided to collect and deliver goods from a customer’s location and over time the horses were replaced with various motorised lorries resulting in a motorised fleet approaching 2500 with trailers approaching 1600. As the development of passenger carrying road vehicles occurred the GWR were instrumental in providing regular services to locations where the railways did not reach with their first service from Helston to the Lizard in Cornwall starting in 1903. Over time a comprehensive bus network was provided before all bus services were handed over to bus operators during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Internal to the GWR’s operations there was also a need for company vehicles ranging from motorised tugs to fire engines, tractors, and other specialised vehicles.

To show that road vehicles played an important part of the GWR’s history the Great Western Trust’s Road Vehicle Group endeavours to portray some of these vehicles and their role within the company. Within our temporary building we have a selection of horse drawn wagons, a joint GWR/LMS bullock cart and the ex-Swindon Works 1942 Fire Tender, plus a selection of period bicycles and other related platform barrows. As a future combined display, we have a 1934 Morris 8 which was built in Cowley in Oxford which could have been transported by rail in a GWR Mogo van. We hope eventually to display our Mogo with the car to explain this particular type of goods handling.

However, our greatest display is based in our original GWR garage where we have two Thornycroft A1 type lorries (1929/1930) which are undergoing conservation in the former Wantage bus garage

We hope to expand our collection of vehicles and other related road vehicle artefacts, but we hope our current selection is of interest to you. If you would like to help us in our conservation and restoration of this aspect at Didcot Railway Centre, then please do contact us either on site or via email- roger.orchard@didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

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