Didcot Railway Centre gains expansion land
An agreement with DB Cargo will allow the 60-year-old heritage centre to occupy former operational railway land.
Didcot Railway Centre has concluded a legal agreement that will permit significant expansion on the western edge of its 25-acre triangular site, which is bounded on all three sides by operational rail lines. For this reason, expansion was always thought
impossible, however the breakthrough came with the recent signing of a sublease with DB Cargo for former railway sidings, now disconnected from the network. The agreement gives the Great Western Society access to an additional 2.3 acres of land for 40 years at a peppercorn rent.
The centre, which is celebrating 60 years of existence this year (see our sister publication The Railway Magazine for full details) expects to use the land, which requires fencing and extensive undergrowth clearance, to store rolling stock and other items awaiting restoration to free up display space on the main site and improve the visitor experience. As such, the additional land will not be accessible to the public when it is occupied sometime in 2022.
Separately, Didcot is home to pioneer gas turbine A1A-A1A loco
No. 18000 (ordered by the GWR in 1946 and built by Brown Boveri & Cie in 1949), on which cosmetic restoration work has now commenced and includes the replacement of corroded areas of the body, cleaning of the inside and conservation including
replacement of rotten areas of flooring, modification of the internal drainage from the gutters to control water ingress (previously from internal steel downpipes which have rotted away) and replacement of plastic windows. The loco, which is currently displayed in the open at the Oxfordshire site, will eventually be given a full repaint in a livery yet to be agreed. The restoration is expected to be complete by 2024, depending on volunteer availability.