Great Western Railway Collection

Cornwall, GWR poster, 1938
Poster produced for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to promote monthly return tickets to Cornwall. The poster shows holidaymakers on a beach surrounded by rocks and cliffs

City of Truro 4-4-0 City class steam locomotive, No 3440, 1903. This locomotive was designed by William Dean for the Great Western Railway and built at Swindon in 1903

Freight train on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, by Selwyn Pearce-Higgins. This narrow gauge railway line was opened in 1903

10170815
Looe, South Cornwall, for Ideal Homes and Holidays, GWR Poster, 1930

Wharncliffe Viaduct Hanwell

King Class Four-Cylinder Express Locomotive - Great Western Railway, 1935
" King" Class Four-Cylinder Express Locomotive - Great Western Railway, 1935. From " Railway Wonders of the World, Vol. 1". [The Amalgamated Press Limited, London, 1935]

Cheltenham Flyer
The GWR (Great Western Railway) Cheltenham Flyer (aka Cheltenham Spa Express ) service, leaving Paddington station, London, on its way to Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire, July 1937

Great Western Railway, Diesel Streamlined Rail Car (colour litho)
5991546 Great Western Railway, Diesel Streamlined Rail Car (colour litho) by Micklewright, G.P. (1893-1951); Private Collection; (add.info.: Great Western Railway, Diesel Streamlined Rail Car)

King George V, 4-6-0 steam locomotive of the Great Western Railway (colour litho)
6014740 King George V, 4-6-0 steam locomotive of the Great Western Railway (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: King George V)

Wootton Basset Incline

The Maidenhead Bridge with steam train crossing

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59) (oil on canvas)
BAG126996 Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59) (oil on canvas) by Horsley, John Callcott (1817-1903); 127x101.6 cm; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, UK; eBristol Museums

Sir Daniel Gooch, English railway engineer and Chairman of the Great Western Railway Company (b / w photo)
6014955 Sir Daniel Gooch, English railway engineer and Chairman of the Great Western Railway Company (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, civil engineer, c1850s
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, c1850s. Brunel surrounded by vignettes of some of his most significant projects - the steamships Great Eastern, Great Britain

Great Western Railway motor service vintage advertising poster

Construction of Severn Tunnel
672974 Construction of Severn Tunnel; (add.info.: The Severn Tunnel, A railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales)

Adverts for the introduction of the telegraph on the Great Western Railway, 1850
1576004 Adverts for the introduction of the telegraph on the Great Western Railway, 1850; (add.info.: Adverts for the introduction of the telegraph on the Great Western Railway in England)

Construction of Severn Tunnel
672975 Construction of Severn Tunnel; (add.info.: The Severn Tunnel, A railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales)

Portrait of I.K. Brunel
673123 Portrait of I.K. Brunel; (add.info.: Isambard Kingdom Brunel (9 April 1806 - 15 September 1859), was an English civil engineer who built bridges

The "George Stephenson" Locomotive Engine, 1860
1577520 The "George Stephenson" Locomotive Engine, 1860; (add.info.: The "George Stephenson" Locomotive Engine built at Hamilton, Canada West)

Grand Fete in Hamstead Park, Berks, in Aid of the Great Western Railway Widows and... 1858. Creator: Unknown
Grand Fete in Hamstead Park, Berks, in Aid of the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund, 1858. Hamstead Park was...admirably calculated for a monster picnic

The "George Stephenson" locomotive engine built at Hamilton, Canada West, for the Great... 1860
The "George Stephenson" locomotive engine built at Hamilton, Canada West, for the Great Western Railway of Canada, 1860. Mr. F.W. Gates, one of the directors; Mr

Pediment of the Great Western Royal Hotel, Paddington, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Pediment of the Great Western Royal Hotel, Paddington, [London], 1854. Sculpture on the magnificent hotel lately erected at the Paddington terminus of the Great Western Railway...the sumptuous style

New Cattle-Market, Reading, 1850. Creator: Unknown
New Cattle-Market, Reading, 1850. The committee unanimously selected the plan designed by Mr. B. Clacy, architect, of Reading

Trial-trip on the Metropolitan (underground) Railway: the train passing Portland-road station, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Trial-trip on the Metropolitan (Underground) Railway: the train passing the Portland-road station, [London], 1862. This railway...has been bored successfully amidst a complicated network of gaspipes

Rain, Steam and Speed - the Great Western Railway, c1844, (1912). Artist: JMW Turner
Rain, Steam and Speed - the Great Western Railway, c1844, (1912). A colour print from Famous Paintings, with an introduction by Gilbert Chesterton, Cassell and Company, (London, New York, Toronto)

Isambard Kingdom Brunel 1836 Sketchbook - GWR carriages
Folio 40 of Isambard Kingdom Brunels 1836 Great Western Railway Sketchbook, titled ÔÇÿGWR Carriages. The entry shows detailed drawings of the outsides of train carriages

Remains of Walnut Tree Viaduct, a railway viaduct located above the southern edge of the village of Taffs Well, Cardiff, South Wales, Wednesday 17th February 1971. Our Picture Shows

Walnut Tree Viaduct, a railway viaduct located above the southern edge of the village of Taffs Well, Cardiff, South Wales, Wednesday 16th March 1955

Great Western Railway, Paddington to Birkenhead Express, Engine "King George II"(colour litho)
5991555 Great Western Railway, Paddington to Birkenhead Express, Engine " King George II" (colour litho) by Micklewright, G.P

The Great Western Railway, Express Passenger Locomotive, No 190, Designed by Mr G J Churchward, MInstCE (colour litho)
5222843 The Great Western Railway, Express Passenger Locomotive, No 190, Designed by Mr G J Churchward, MInstCE (colour litho) by Stokoe, W

The Great Western Railway, Composite Brake Corridor Carriage, No 7672 (colour litho)
5222832 The Great Western Railway, Composite Brake Corridor Carriage, No 7672 (colour litho) by Stokoe, W. J.(fl.1910-40); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Great Western Railway)

Poster advertising South Devon, 1946 (colour lithograph)
1198161 Poster advertising South Devon, 1946 (colour lithograph) by Newbould, Frank (1887-1951); 102x127 cm; Private Collection; Photo © Christies Images

Wootton Bassett engine house
Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketchbook on the Great Western Railway. Elevations and plans of the engine house at Wootton Bassett

Portbury Floating Pier
Portbury floating pier, landing place and steam packet harbour. In the Bristol Channel, 8 miles below Bristol, in continuation of the line of the Great Western Railway

Photograph of the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, c1855
Photograph of the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, showing brick pillars and start of metal fencing. Shows approach to River Tamar whilst still on land, on the Cornwall shore

Photograph of the Royal Albert Bridge, 1858
Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash, showing Cornwall span of tubes in place, and Devon span of tubes in process of being manoeuvred into position

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: railway carriage and Saltash Bridge, c1849-1852
Two sketches by Brunel - Great Western Railway eight wheel carriage: brief and very faint pencil sketch showing several carriages and position of wheels

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: port cranes at Paddington Station, 1851. Image used by Courtesy of the Brunel Institute - a collaboration of the SS Great Britain Trust and the University of Bristol

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: roof span at Windsor Station, with calculations. c1849-51
Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: roof span at Windsor Station, with calculations, c1849-51. Image used by Courtesy of the Brunel Institute - a collaboration of the SS Great Britain Trust

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: designs for the interior of Paddington Station, 1851
Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: designs for the interior of Paddington Station. Including roof span and columns. 1851. Image used by Courtesy of the Brunel Institute - a collaboration of the SS Great

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: interior vault of roof at Paddington Station, 1850. Image used by Courtesy of the Brunel Institute - a collaboration of the SS Great Britain Trust

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: Paddington Goods Shed, 1849. Four cross sections showing different arrangements for the roof of the railway engine shed, showing an arched roof, and a pointed roof

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch - Maidenhead Bridge, 1836. The sketches depict the Maidenhead Bridge and are drawn horizontally on the page in black ink

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: railway carriage, c1849-1852
Great Western Railway eight wheeled carriage: showing wheels, driving rods, and connection to pistons, with suspension system

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: designs for columns
Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: designs for ornamental columns and capitals. Unknown date. Image used by Courtesy of the Brunel Institute - a collaboration of the SS Great Britain Trust

Isambard Kingdom Brunel sketch: the Queens Carriage, 1847. Side view of a carriage designed for Queen Victoria with detailed design for suspension, wheels, and driving rods

Photograph of Chepstow Bridge under construction, 1852
Photograph of Chepstow Bridge under construction, taken from river level showing piers and bed of bridge with upper superstructure under construction

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"Journey through Time: Exploring the Great Western Railway" Step back in time to 1938, where a GWR poster beckons you to Cornwall, promising breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable adventures. Picture yourself aboard the City of Truro, a magnificent steam locomotive from 1903 that once ruled the tracks with its impressive 4-4-0 City class design. As you traverse the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, captured beautifully by Selwyn Pearce-Higgins, witness a freight train chugging along amidst picturesque surroundings. Marvel at the architectural marvels like Wharncliffe Viaduct Hanwell and The Maidenhead Bridge as they stand tall while steam trains gracefully cross their paths. Immerse yourself in history as Isambard Kingdom Brunel takes center stage - a visionary civil engineer who shaped Britain's railway network during the c1850s. His genius is epitomized by his masterpiece, Wootton Bassett Incline. Gaze upon an oil painting capturing Brunel's brilliance and admire Sir Daniel Gooch, Chairman of the Great Western Railway Company during those transformative years. These black-and-white photographs remind us of their significant contributions to this iconic railway system. But it wasn't just about engineering prowess; GWR offered more than just trains. Vintage advertising posters showcase their motor service that catered to travelers' needs beyond rail travel. From leisurely escapes to bustling cities like Cheltenham Flyer promised luxurious journeys for all. The Great Western Railway holds tales untold within its iron veins - stories of adventure, progress, and connection etched into every mile traveled. Join us on this captivating journey through time as we celebrate an era when railways were not merely means of transportation but gateways to new horizons.