Railway works hooter to sound across town again

The moment Swindon's historic railway works closed forever 40 years ago is to be marked with a series of events.

On 26 March 1986 the hooter, which signified the beginning and end of the work day, sounded for the final time - but a replica of the once-familiar alarm will soon be heard again as part of the celebrations.

Commemorations to mark the end of the Great Western Railway works' 140-year presence in the town will take place across the week of the 40th anniversary.

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council's cabinet member for placemaking and planning, said the closure had "a big impact" on the town.

"Many Swindon residents will have relatives or friends who used to work at the Works and will have fond memories of their time there as well as the lifelong friends they will have made," she added.

Heritage groups and historians will stage exhibitions, a film and a reunion of past railway workers in order to mark the decades since the works - which opened in 1843 - closed permanently.

Commemorations will begin at the STEAM Museum on Tuesday 24 March with a pop-up exhibition of press cuttings, photographs and artefacts from 1986.

On the 40th anniversary itself, former railway workers are invited to a breakfast reunion at the Railway Village's Central Community Centre, where they can gather to share memories from their time working at the site.

Later that day, at 16:30 GMT, former worker Ron Johnson, 75, will sound the replica steam hooter - exactly 40 years after he did the same to close the works for good.

This will then mark the opening of the year-long exhibition 'The Last Blast' telling the story of the final years of railway engineering in Swindon.

There are also various ticketed events across the week, including a screening of the 1986 film Railway Town and a day of talks on Swindon's railway history.

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