Didcot Railway Centre - Part 1

Didcot, Oxfordshire, is a small town not a million miles from Oxford itself. It features an important railway junction and station, Didcot Parkway, and was until very recently home of one of the largest power stations in the UK, though the latter ceased producing volts some time ago and is nowadays being slowly demolished.

But the star of Didcot is Didcot Railway Centre. The headquarters of the Great Western Society, this enormous site is an open-air museum dedicated to the preservation of old/ancient railway rolling stock and equipment.
As well as being fascinating in that latter respect, it's a haven for photographers, with rust, texture and features guaranteed to get your shutter finger itching.

From their own website:
Different to other steam railway experiences - Because it is really a depot and can be described as an outdoor museum. Plenty of old trains and rolling stock to see and you can ride some albeit on a very small demonstration line. But for a different steam experience this is recommended. Maybe best to go on an event day.

Three pages of pictures.

You can click any picture to see a bigger version, 1500 pixels wide, in a new window