A new study looking at the Swindon works in the transition period between the GWR and BR (Western) ownership.

From 1841, when the Great Western Railway began building its works at Swindon, to 1986, when the works were closed, Swindon was a railway town

The age of steam is past, the heyday of Swindon Works is long gone – but the legend lives on. What made the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works iconic? Was it its worldwide reputation; perhaps its profound impact in shaping the new town of Swindon; or that it melded those who worked there into one big family? In a new and exciting format, this book, by popular railway historian Rosa Matheson, helps explain why the never-ending love story endures. With big facts and fascinating stories, it is a must read not only for ex-Works employees and their families, nor just for GWR fans and railway enthusiasts, but also for any newcomer seeking to find a good way into railway history.

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the Swindon Works have changed and developed since the 1940s.

It was often joked that Swindon Works' men came with 'GWR' stamped on their bottoms, so much so that even in the BR era they considered themselves Great Western! Those who worked 'Inside' as locals called it, possessed a fierce price in their work and in their worldwide reputation. Using material from numerous interviews with workshop men and women as well as official documents, Swindon expert Rosa Matheson examines the differences of each era - GWR / BR; conditions in the Works; the idiosyncrasies of work practices, such as odd names of jobs like 'holder-upper' and generational family work histories. She also explores the relationships between the workers - men ad women, shopfloor and management, foremen and men and especially 'Loco' versus Carriage and Wagon! Whilst many books have been written about the Works, few, if any, have given a chance to those who worked in its workshops to have their voices heard in the telling of that story. This beautifully illustrated book uses their words and experiences to tell the good, the bad and the ugly of working 'Inside'.