Reading

In steam days, Reading had two locomotive sheds.  One for the Great Western Railway and one for the Southern Railway.

Thanks to Richard Standing for supplying some of the following information.

The following classes of locomotive were shedded at Reading (GWR) in 1947:

1400  2251  2800  4073  4300  4900  5700  6100

and examples of most of these can be seen at Didcot Railway Centre.

Three ex-Reading locomotives have been preserved elsewhere:

3845 - (2800 class) - under restoration at Swindon & Cricklade railway
4920 - Dumbleton Hall - under restoration at South Devon Railway
9303 - (4300 class) - static display at STEAM, Swindon (as 7325)

In 1950, there were four "U" class locomotives (31794, 31796, 31797, 31799) shedded at Reading (Southern).  None of these has been preserved but four similar ones have: 31618  31638  31625  31806.  The 31638 link has a sound and video clip.

Thanks to Reading Museum Service for supplying this information:

'Reading Abbey, 5084' nameplate

We have very few items in the Museum's collection relating to the railways and the nameplate is one of our key local history objects displayed at the Museum of Reading in the 'Reading : People & Place' gallery. You can view the nameplate in this gallery, it is attached to the mezzanine balcony wall beside the glass lift.

The first Reading Abbey, number 4064, was a `Star' class built in 1922 at Swindon. In 1937 it was rebuilt as a more powerful `Castle' class, number 5084. This ran until 1958 having completed just over a million miles as a 'Castle' locomotive.

Information on the GWR Star class ¦ Information on the GWR Castle class

Click here for a picture of another GWR Castle class nameplate, number 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe.

Blue Pullmans

The Blue Pullmans ran from Paddington to Bristol and Paddington to Swansea in the 1960s.  Does anybody remember whether they stopped at Reading?

Further information ¦ Downloadable video clip