Hundreds of children, parents and grandparents visited Didcot Railway Centre for the first weekend of the half-term holiday to enjoy riding in vintage steam and diesel trains with the backdrop of the autumn hues of the trees.

Passengers joined the 1940s-vintage carriages of the main line train, painted in the traditional chocolate and cream livery of the Great Western Railway (GWR).

The train was hauled by 1946-built locomotive number 4144.

The vintage diesel train was a railcar built in 1940, watched by passengers as it arrived in the station.

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Didcot steam day (Image: Frank Dumbleton) The broad gauge replica of the 1840 Fire Fly class looked out of her shed at colourful red-painted signal arms with a backdrop of autumn foliage.

In the signalling centre visitors could experience working the panel, now preserved, which from 1968 to 2016 had controlled trains on an 80km section of the main line either side of Swindon.

Among the volunteers on duty were guards Maurice Williams and Thomas Macey on the main line train. 

Thomas Jones, trainee guard, looked after passengers in the diesel railcar.

He was photographed with one of the railcar’s glass panels etched with the art deco GWR roundel – the design that became the rail operator’s corporate identity from 1934.

Didcot Railway Centre has further half-term steam days on Thursday, October 31, then Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3.