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.

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

A lavishly illustrated survey of a wide range of GWR stations.

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

In the pioneering days of early Victorian railway engineering the decision of Gooch and Brunel to locate an engine house and works just to the north of Swindon led to the creation of a sizeable engineering enterprise and a new settlement. This book is the result of a project commissioned in 1984, when many of the works buildings came under threat. By looking at the buildings themselves it traces the architectural history of the railway engineering works and the associated railway village. A fascinating guide revisting one of Britain's finest monuments to the early days of the railway age.