STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway — Attraction in Central Swindon North

STEAM-punked: Rolling into Hilarity at Swindon's Loco-Mirth Museum!

Hold onto your whistle, because our trip to STEAM in Swindon was a one-way ticket to the funniest station in town! Picture this: a Christmas market in an old train yard, stalls more tempting than a buffet cart at midnight, and laughter echoing louder than a runaway locomotive. All aboard the hilarity express!

Navigating the museum was like riding the comedy caboose through time. The Truro-namentally fantastic train had us in stitches – I've never seen a locomotive wear a Santa hat with such panache. It was festive enough to make the North Pole jealous.

Now, going under a train? It's not your typical Sunday stroll, but at STEAM, it's like doing the limbo with locomotives. I went from "Mind the Gap" to "Mind the Undercarriage!" Forget tightropes; this is a real balancing act.

The old GWR posters were a blast from the past, urging us to embrace the charm of yesteryear. They were so convincing; I almost expected a telegram from Queen Victoria inviting us for afternoon tea on the Royal Train. Spoiler alert: no royal invitations arrived.

Speaking of royals, we ventured into a royal train carriage – it was so posh, even the upholstery looked down on my jokes. If those plush seats could talk, they'd probably be sharing tea-time gossip about the good old days when trains were more steamy romance than steam engines.

Our journey to Swindon by train, however, was less glamour, more grumble. The train of yester-year would scoff at our modern ride – no dining cars, no chandeliers, just a faint smell of microwaved sandwiches and a toddler's temper tantrum. Bring back the golden age of travel, where even the ticket inspector had charisma!

And let's not forget the end-of-the-line amusement games – a funfair for railway enthusiasts! Picture train-themed games so pun-tastic, they had us laughing harder than a locomotive with a good joke. Who knew you could have so much fun without leaving the tracks?

In conclusion, STEAM in Swindon is a first-class ticket to historical wonder and laughter that chugs along like a tipsy train. The museum, far from a comedy caboose, offers a splendid journey through time and an abundance of chuckles. If you're ready for an entertaining ride into the rich history of trains, STEAM is the station to be – next stop, the junction of Knowledge and...

We really enjoyed our trip to the Steam museum, especially my four year-old who loves trains. I liked that the museum gives you the background to the railway works at Swindon as well as the train exhibits. I really appreciated this as my Grandad used to work here many years ago.

I like the way that you can interact with the exhibits. So the walkway underneath a steam train, it helps you to appreciate the engineering and the work involved in making a steam train. I also enjoyed the signalling shed where you can get guided through signalling to switch points for two trains to pass. There’s also a children’s set of signals too. The steam train driving simulator was great fun.

There’s a few different coaches too that you can step inside. An old royal coach, used by Queen Victoria, a buffet coach (it was like a glimpse into another world, it even had the smell of cigarette smoke) and a guard’s van.

There’s a recreated station, with an old ticket hall. It also celebrates some of the women who were pioneers in the rail industry, which is great.

Most of the museum is level. There’s some raised areas, and they’re accessible by both ramps and stairs. There’s a lift and stairs up to the gallery of names of people employed at Swindon works. The only section that’s accessible only by stairs is the walkway under the steam train.

There’s plenty of baby changing. As well as a dedicated baby changing room, there’s baby changing in both the men’s and women’s toilets (everywhere should have this!). Also a cafe and a gift shop.

All in all, this was an enjoyable visit and I’m happy to...

Visited on Thursday 13th March 2025. First-time visit, and initially a little confusing where to park as there was no dedicated parking for the museum, with parking being the same for the designer shopping outlet and the museum. Once parked up you cross the road into the complex that contains both the shopping outlet and the museum but there is no obvious signage directing you away from the shops and to the steam museum around the back to the left. Once found the museum was nice and quiet on a midweek visit. No exhibits outside but a nice atrium-style entrance hall containing access to toilets a cafe, a shop and the museum entry payment point. Once into the exhibit, you are guided initially through recreations of the various offices that formed the historical railway works inc dressed mannequins, videos and audio descriptions of each section. Take your time and enjoy these areas before you walk into the locomotive and pit/platform parts of the museum. There is an excellent set of interactive exhibits which allow you to attempt to drive a steam train as well as work a signal box. Once through this area, you have a smaller section covering the marketing history of the railway before you return to the entrance and shop. Overall a nice museum and one that represents the history of the GWR and the role Swindon's works played in its...