OVER the years we have acquired the best collection of Great Western Railway locomotives, carriages and wagons in the world as well as an amazing number of smaller artefacts.

Our Diesel Railcar Number 22 is the only Great Western Railway railcar in operation, although one is on display in Swindon and another is currently being restored.

One of our guards tells the story of how No 22 came to be preserved at Didcot:

"In the early 1960s, British Railways were scrapping old railway company coaches and replacing them with new ones, and the same was happening with rail cars.

"Railcar 22 went to Swindon Works for an overhaul in 1962 and was completely renovated inside and out, but then Derby (the works responsible for all rolling stock) decided that it should be scrapped.

"The Swindon shed master was so outraged at this decision that he hid the vehicle in the darkest recesses of his shed for five years.

"Somehow he persuaded Derby that it was not a self-propelled vehicle but an ordinary coach.

"When the Great Western Society asked to buy No 22, they referred to her throughout their correspondence as a diesel railcar, but in its replies, the Derby office always called it an auto-coach (which doesn’t have an engine).

"The upshot was that the Society only paid for an ordinary coach rather than a self-powered vehicle, and she cost about a third of what Derby thought a railcar was worth.

"When Derby subsequently complained, we pointed out that we had consistently called it a diesel railcar in all their correspondence and that if Derby got it wrong, that was their problem."

Railcar No 22 was built in 1940 and ran for 22 years.

As she has been with us since 1967 we have had her for almost 50 years so she has been in preservation for twice as long as she was in service.

Railcar No 22 was at the forefront of diesel railway technology and paved the way for the diesel trains we have today.

She has been one of our stalwarts on Heritage Diesel Days, although we only use her in the summer as we removed her steam heating boiler many years ago so she doesn't have any heating.

She is looked after by a small team who carry out the essential maintenance.

One of our August work week tasks is to do her annual maintenance examination and oil change.

When I started volunteering at the railway centre I never imagined that I would ever be a railcar driver.

I'm pleased to say that is one of the many opportunities we offer.