Great Western Railway - Swindon Works: books - history (2/2)

The Steam Workshops of the Great Western Railway

The 19th century was a time of innovation and expansion across the industrial landscape, and nowhere more so than on the railways, as the new age of iron, steel and steam, literally, gathered pace.
At the head of the race up was the iconic Great Western Railway. As this mighty corporation grew, it absorbed an astonishing 353 railway companies. Many of them had their own workshops, depots and manufacturing, often assembling locomotives to the designs of other companies. All these, along with the various designs, became the responsibility of the GWR on takeover, and followed its standardisation of components where this was possible. These works became the beating heart of the GWR's vast empire, where majestic engines were built and maintained by some of the most skillful and inventive engineers of the day.

Retired GWR railwayman Ken Gibbs presents a comprehensive portrait of the works from Brunel to the final days of steam in the mid-twentieth century, and beyond to the rediscovery and renovation of many of the workshops for their unique heritage.

The Carriage & Wagon Works of the GWR at Swindon Works

The Great Western Railway at Swindon, with its highly skilled craftsmen, is world-famous. It has been written about and filmed countless times, and many of its old steam locomotives have been saved from the scrapyards and lovingly rebuilt to run again on heritage lines.
But despite such affection, its skill in the construction and repair of the carriages and wagons has often been sadly overlooked.

Rolling stock is essential for the operation of any railway and no doubt played a key role in the success of the GWR, transporting people and goods of all kinds across its extensive network.
Retired GWR railwayman Ken Gibbs seeks to redress the balance and reveal for the first time exactly 'how they did it' - showcasing the history and work of the Carriage and Wagon Works at Swindon.

Great Western Revival - Western Locomotives in the Preservation Era

Thanks to a quirk of fate, and the survival of so many locomotives in the Barry scrapyard, the GWR is well represented in the steam preservation scene today.

John Maybery takes us through the surviving Great Western locomotives, from the Kings and Castle passenger locos through Halls and Manors and onto the ubiquitous Prairie and pannier tanks.
He also covers the narrow gauge locomotives of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, which was Britain's last nationalised steam passenger railway until privatisation in 1989.

The diesel railcars and the replica broad gauge locomotives are also covered in this fully illustrated and informative book.

In the Footsteps of I.K. Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel is arguably the greatest engineer in British history and as one of the great Victorian engineers who laid the foundations of modern Britain his achievements are still widely celebrated.
This detailed guide covers the extraordinary legacy that Brunel has left for all to see. The triumph that is the Great Western Railway, the first tunnel under the Thames, the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain will be familiar to many, but even his spectacular failures such as the gargantuan SS Great Eastern and the Atmospheric Railway in Devon have left traces in the landscape that can be still be discovered today.

Recent developments in the story of Brunel's legacy are included such as the recently discovered Bishop's Bridge at Paddington, the proposal to make the Great Western Railway a UNESCO World Heritage site and the government listing of structures all along the route.
This extensive guide not only provides contemporary and present day illustrations of Brunel's lasting legacies, but also an extensive gazetteer of places where his work can still be seen today.