Steam - Museum of the Great Western Railway
- Timone
- First Reviewer
- 5 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 3
- Reviews
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11
- Photos
Editor Pick
Not Just for Train Spotters
- July 15, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Sonia3 from London, United Kingdom
When you get to Swindon you may notice that there's a slight railway theme. The main shopping centre in town is called the Brunel, you have the Great Western Designer Shopping Centre, the radio station was even called GWR until very recently. The railway is a big thing in Swindon and a huge part of Swindon's history so it's not suprising that there's a museum dedicated to the Great Western Railway. What is suprising is that it's actually a fun day out!
As you have most likely realised Steam is about trains and the railways, particularly the Great Western Railway and it's creator, Brunel. I first visited this museum with my youngest sister when she was five because I wanted to do something new with her and I wanted it to be educational. We have been back several times since (she's nine now) and it's remained a firm favourite.
I think that one of the great things about this museum is that it caters to so many people.
For those who are keen to learn about the railway there is a lot of information available, unfortunately I can't comment on the depth of this information because I wasn't given a chance to read it all. My sister was so keen to move onto the interactive things and got bored very quickly when I was reading out bits of information to her and now that she's older she knows exactly what parts of the museum she likes so I still haven't had a chance to read it all.
However, although there is a lot of information and I'm sure there are a lot of train fanatics who love this museum this museum always seems to be primarily a family place. Throughout the museum there are various activities that children can take part in, like changing signals on the track. There are games for the children to play, although these are aimed primarily at preschool children. That's not to say that there's not a lot for older children to do (or indeed adults if you're anything like me), it's just that for the younger children it seems that there are seperate games and for the older children it's more interaction with trains and railway equipment.
My favourite part of the entire museum is the part that is set up like an old train station. There is a platform complete with old fashioned ticket booths, waiting rooms and wax models of people sitting on the platform. There are two old trains pulled in at the platform and you can walk around them, go into the part where the driver would have been and pull various levers. You're free to play on these and I think it's a great way to bring history to life for children. My sister was scared of the wax models the first time we went in and I have to admit, they're pretty creepy!
I have found that there are extra activities on during the school holidays so although it's busier then it's worth waiting for school holidays to take your children.
I think the reason why Steam has remained a favourite for so long is that children can experience it differently at every age. There are different activities for different age groups (they don't specify ages but there are some things that young children wouldn't be able to do and some things that older children probably wouldn't be interested in doing) so every time we go my sister finds something else to do. The recreation of the old platform and train though remains both of our favourite part of the museum.
Steam is next to the Great Western Designer Outlet Village and is very easy to get to, just follow signs for the outlet village if you're driving or take the number 13 or 14 bus from the town centre.
Tickets cost £6.40 for an adult, £4.25 for a child with under threes getting in for free. Concessions are available.
The museum is fully accessible to wheelchair users.
From journal Swindon
Editor Pick
Steam - Museum of the Great Western Railway
- September 11, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
Swindon is a town in between Bath and London. You drive very close to it if you take the M4 Motorway traveling from either one of these great cities to the other. Swindon is not a place that I would say to visit for its own sake, but if you want an easy and wonderful attraction to break up the drive with kids -or you're a railway buff- I have the museum for you.
Located within the same complex as Swindon's outlet mall -and with plenty of easy parking- you'll find the Steam - Museum of the Great Western Railway. Park in the NORTH parking lot. (With your museum ticket, parking will be free here.) Then follow the signs to the museum.
So what was the Great Western Railway?
The Great Western Railway was surveyed and designed by one of England's most important and famous technical men, I. K. Brunel. This man was a GIANT in engineering, and he is responsible for such feats as the Underground in London and the world's first iron cruise ship in the SS Great Britain. I am ashamed to say that I had never heard of him before I moved to this island country, yet every new thing I learn about him, makes me admire him more. The Clifton Suspension Bridge that he designed in Bristol is, in my opinion, the prettiest bridge in all of the UK.
The Great Western Railway initially used a different type of track for its trains than the rest of the country and it ran through the West. This track made for a smoother ride. It was rejected later because it was too expensive to make standard. The lines had to be re-laid. However, the GWR was there to stay. Until the 1940s, trains were made by men and women working in the very buildings that now house the museum and the outlet mall.
All Aboard!
Once in the museum (6 pounds per adult/4 pounds per child/10 % discount for National Trust Members), you walk through excellent recreations of the machine shop with its whizzing belts and whirring lathes to the boiler shop that was once so noisy that the people who worked in there went deaf by the age of 30. Kids will have plenty of buttons to push and pull and see. You can walk under one of the fastest trains that ever came off a production line. You can get on a footplate and make a train "go" through the English countryside in the train driving simulator. You can take a 20 p coin and play some of the penny arcade games that you would have once found at the seaside vacation destinations where GWR trains terminated their journeys.
Tip:
After you've seen the museum (1-2 hours), go into the outlet mall and grab a quick and inexpensive lunch in the foodcourt. You'll have more variety for your family there than you'll find at a services station.
Then push on with your journey to Bath or London.
From journal Boys in Bath
STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway
- May 5, 2005
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Timone from Warwick, United Kingdom
This museum is amazing. Okay, so the name STEAM doesn't necessarily conjure up fun images, but there is so much to see here and it is superbly presented. It gives a history of British railways, as well as showing how steam engines were built. There is a mock office, foundry, pattern shop, carriage shop, machine shop, and boiler shop, as well as the opportunity to walk beneath a huge engine and see the underside workings. There is a full-size station with trains and information on station facilities, as well as a great train-driving simulator and various engines and carriages on display. There is so much to see, so allow at least 2 hours, if not more.
From journal A Day in Sunny Wiltshire