Catalogue description Great Western Railway Company.

Railway Drawing Collection (2515/400 series)

The railway drawings in this collection held at the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office Trowbridge document the infrastructure of the Great Western Railway and its various successors. There are in excess of 18,000 drawings dated from 1838 (Bristol St. Lawrence - Plan of Railway Line through Property of John Knowlls) to 1990 (Slough - Staff Accommodation). Drawings of Locomotives, Carriages, Wagons and Rolling Stock in general, are deposited at the National Railway Museum, York and, with the exception of approximately 600 drawings within the Record Office collection that are associated with production component manufacturing, are outside the Trowbridge Record Office collection of railway material. The retained drawings originate from various sources but the majority are from the Swindon 'General' Drawing Office of the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer and whilst the range of locations of the various drawing subjects reflect the extent of the Great Western Railway / Western Region system, the primary single location is Swindon Works.

The following drawing record list is a combination of all the Reference Groups and drawings are shown in alphabetical order based upon the drawing subject, a) Location where indicated on the drawing, b) No Specific Location, (under 'N') i.e. not indicated on drawing, various locations or a standard item and c) Production Items (under 'P')

Groups and Content

2515/401 - Long Drawings (Rolled)

Drawings with this category are stored rolled and are of various origins and subjects.

2515/402 - British Rail Engineering Ltd. Swindon Works Drawing Office (Boxed)

Drawings within this category are stored folded and are from the British Rail Engineering Ltd. workshops at Swindon. When the administration of Swindon Works was transferred from British Rail Western Region to the newly formed British Rail Workshop Division (later British Rail Engineering Limited) in 1962, all drawings relevant to Swindon Works were transferred from the British Rail Western Region Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer's Drawing Office at Swindon to the Chief Works Manager, Swindon Works. A Works Drawing Office (which included a Jig and Tool Section) was introduced and this office continued until the Works closure in 1987. The drawings originate from the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer's Swindon Drawing Office and Swindon Works Drawing Office.

2515/403 - Chief Mechanical & Electrical Engineers Drawing Office Swindon (Boxed)

Drawings within this category are stored folded, and are from the Great Western Railway / Western Region Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer Swindon 'General' Drawing Office. There were three separate Drawing Offices at Swindon i.e. Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon and General. The General Drawing Office was sub-divided into six sections i.e. Building, Machinery, Cranes, Electrical, Pumps and Survey.

2515/404 - Tracings - All Subjects (Rolled)

Drawings within this category are tracings, stored rolled, and of various origins and subjects. The type of tracing medium varies and because of the age of a number of the tracings, their condition has deteriorated and they require careful handling. There is a small degree of duplication of tracings with a copy of the respective drawing held in other groups.

2515/405 - Small Drawings - All Subjects (Rolled)

Drawings within this category are small drawings, predominately rolled, and of various origins and subjects.

2515/406 - Working Drawings - All Subjects (Rolled - Many dirty and / or in poor condition)

Drawings within this category are stored rolled and are of various origins and subjects. Because the majority of these drawings were the 'working' copies, some previously attached to 'sticks', they have been used in the respective workshop, mainly Swindon Works, or on site for the subject to be manufactured or installed. This use is reflected in their condition and a number are dirty. Some drawings are very fragile and are not available for inspection. Vinyl gloves should be worn when handling these drawings.

2515/407 - Permanent Way (Rolled)

Drawings within this category are stored rolled and are predominantly of Permanent Way, i.e. Track, Fittings including Chairs. They show arrangements and manufacturing details of the item and originate from the Great Western Railway / Western Region Chief Civil Engineers Department Drawing Office, and the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer's General Drawing Office Swindon. As the drawing item could be manufactured for installation at a number of locations throughout the G.W.R. system, in many cases specific sites are not indicated on the drawing.

To reduce the space required for the retention of these drawings there may be more than one drawing on each roll.

2515/408 - Bridges, Viaducts, Subways, Tunnels, including Severn Tunnel Pumping Stations (Rolled)

Drawings within this category are stored rolled, and predominantly relate to Bridges, Viaducts, Subways, and Tunnels, including the Severn Tunnel Pumping Stations. They originate from various Railway Departments and a number of these drawings include Subjects relevant to the items in other References i.e. Buildings, Water Tanks, Piped Services and Track Layouts, etc.

2515/409 - Buildings, Tanks, Structures, Excluding Bridges (Rolled)

Drawings within this category are stored rolled and relate to Buildings, Tanks and Structures, see Reference 408 for Bridges. They originate from various Railway Departments, embrace most drawing subjects and in some cases the drawing may show more than one subject i.e. a water tank on a building indicating the water supply, but the description is taken from the drawing title.

2515/410 - Track Layouts - Includes Piped Supplies and Distribution (Rolled)

Drawings within this category are stored rolled and originate predominately from the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer's, Swindon General Drawing Office and the Survey Section in particular. The Survey Section used drawings of track layouts, mainly supplied by the Great Western Railway / Western Region Chief Civil Engineer, as carrier drawings for indicating the water supplies etc, at various installations, including Stations, on the GWR / WR system. This was to ensure that the track layout and the service distribution were compatible. The Survey Section also prepared drawings of Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer's projects for schemes and proposals for circulation and discussion to other involved Departments.

Drawing Subjects

Subject categories are broadly based upon the drawing 'Description' and relate to all Drawing Collection Groups.

The 'Description' of the drawing as indicated in the individual records is as shown by the title on the drawing, however the main drawing subject may include other items of interest i.e. 'Water Supply' titled drawings may also show the track layout of that specific site, 'Water Tank' may also show the structure or building supporting the tank, 'Machinery Arrangements' may also show the building containing the machinery.

1 Administration - Accidents, Legal, Railway Route Plans

2 Boilers - Stationary, Vehicle

3 Bridges, Viaducts, Tunnels (excluding Severn Tunnel), Subways

4 Buildings, Structures, Services - Arrangements, Details, Layouts, Site and Town Plans

5 Coal Stages, Water Tanks, Water Columns/Cranes, Water Troughs, Water Fittings

6 Cranes - Fixed, Travelling, Steam, Swing Jibs, Runways, Lifting Apparatus

7 Fences, Boundary Markers, Gates, Lamps

8 Fire Arrangements and Appliances

9 Harbours, Docks, Locks including Gates and Machinery, Canals, Rivers

10 Hoists, Lifts, Tips (not Sites), Jacks

11 Production Items - Jigs and Tools

12 Machinery - Arrangements, Details, Layouts

13 Mechanical Handling including Transport, Capstans, Winches, Conveyors and Elevators

14 Notices, Signs, Plaques, Models

15 Permanent Way

16 Plant & Equipment - Arrangements, Details, Layouts

17 Production Items - Locomotive and Rolling Stock Spring Gear, Inspection Sheets

18 Track Layouts and Sites (many indicating water, gas, electricity or fuel oil distribution)

19 Traversers

20 Turntables

21 War Items

22 Water Pumping Stations (including Severn Tunnel), Pumps, Bore Holes and Wells

23 Weighing Machines and Weighbridges

Great Western Railway Company

British Rail (Western Railway)

British Rail Engineering Ltd, Swindon, Wiltshire

• Railway engineering

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