Trip: The Annual Holiday of GWR's Swindon Works

by Rosa Matheson

'Trip', if you happened to be a Swindonian and one that worked 'inside' the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works, was the event of the year. When, in 1848, a party of some 500 made up of men from the Mechanics Institution and their families took the company's gratis train to Oxford, they set a tradition that lasted for over 120 years. Trip enabled the 'trippers' to travel initially all over the GWR system, then up and down the country and, in later times, even across the Channel to Europe. It was a masterpiece of management and in its heyday numbers up to 26,000 would leave Swindon in a matter of hours. Over the years Trip became part of the fabric of life for Swindon Works' railway families and they invested it with their individual rituals and traditions. It was talked about with hushed breath and hopeful longing for many months before the event and is now remembered long years after with great fondness. This book provides an evocative record of Trip for those who remember the excursions and for anyone interested in the history of Swindon and the administrative prowess of the GWR. Archive photographs and postcards offer a fascinating glimpse of Swindon Works and the families on holiday at an array of Trip destinations.

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Phil Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Trip' is mentioned in much of the literature about the GWR at Swindon mainly focusing on (1) the large number of special trains, departing from the works sidings rather than the station, taking holidaymakers to their destinations (2) 'The Grand March Past' - Trip was an unpaid holiday so on the first week back at work there were no wages due and the staff walked past the empty pay tables. This account draws on the experiences of those who participated. We are told of the rituals and traditions such as the annual wash on the eve of departure and the early start - often before 5 a.m. - to catch the special trains. The chapter on destinations gives insight into the relationships between the visitors and locals. Weston-Super-Mare was a popular destination for day trippers on a tight budget who took their own food, which did little to endear them to local traders. But at resorts such as Tenby and St. Ives, strong bonds were forged between the 'Swindoners' and their hosts, who saw each other as part of the family. A detailed review of the arrangements for the 1953 Trip shows the huge amount of work needed getting the right vehicles in the right place at the right time, arranging onward and return journey, printing and issuing of tickets etc.