The museum is fantastic and all museum staff friendly and knowledgeable. However the cafe is awfull. No longer serves proper cooked food and prepackaged sandwiches if a poor quality. Hot drinks not much better. If you require food go else where.

Amazing day out for anyone interested in steam trains. The kids loved it as it was really interactive a d interesting. We spent a good 2/3 hours inside the museum. There’s plenty to see and do, there’s lots of interesting facts and plenty to learn as you make your way through the museum.

A great way to spend a rainy morning. This museum tells the story of the Swindon Loco works, the GWR and the operation of the railway in a way which keeps the subject alive and interesting. Whilst the Steam locomotives themselves are always impressive, we particularly liked the way the subject was brought alive by the use of realistic wax models in real life settings and by video snippets of peoples real lives either from historic recordings of workers for example or from videos of actors playing their roles. Really well thought out and presented.

Really good museum BUT it took ages to find from the West car park with no signage through the endless designer village maze of consumerism gone mad. Yet the museum is adjacent to the North car park so why don't they simply tell you to park there? (Though even here there's just one tiny sign on a lamppost.) Reception staff totally uninterested in taking this further with whoever is in charge of the website and signage. As others say, cafe is awful - or is it an ironic reinvention of British Rail catering?

The staff at reception were really friendly and helpful. We attended STEAM with our 2 grandchildren, aged 7. The museum was not too busy and so the children had great fun on the hands-on exhibits. They loved the interaction with the railway signals, in particular. The steam train Caerphilly Castle was marvellous, especially the inspection pit underneath. If you are a history buff, this is the place to go, lots about the social history of Swindon. I liked an area where there was a bench, which gave you a view of the main Swindon to Paddington line. We spent 2 hours at STEAM and had a lovely time. I would like to go back and take more time to look around the videos and information exhibits.

What a find. I was on a coach tour which was mainly to the next door shopping centre. The shopping centre was very good but I am not an enthusiastic shopper. I spotted the museum and was interested as my Grandparents both worked on the railways. The staff were VERY welcoming and knowledgeable. Despite my Grandma working on the railways I didn't know about the first women engineers - very interesting. I absolutely loved 'driving the engine' - great fun. I was also very interested in 'Trip' when all the workers went to the seaside. I have already recommended the museum to friends - something for all the family. Nice little gift shop with good quality stock. I just had a drink in the cafe so can't comment on the food. The staff were very nice and polite. All in all an excellent and educational museum.

If trains are your thing, then this is your place! It is located in part of the old Swindon works so you are surrounded by rail history. You are able to get up close to the exhibits, and you can even walk under a steam engine. The history of the GWR and the 'works' is also fascinating.

Amazing historic steam locomotives and fascinating museum. Lots of short videos to watch and good still life exhibits to bring the past to life. It really helps you to imagine life as a worker in the factory or running the railways and brings back the excitement of a bygone age. Good value and easy parking right by the entrance.

Decided to take my two nephews for a walk around this great little museum, to keep them happy on a visit. It seemed to have the desired effect and both of them were more than happy with the exhibits and the trains on show. Especially liking the videos that give you a sneak peek into life as a worker on the trains. The shop was great for a couple of memento’s. I enjoyed it more than expected.

I’m a big fan of this museum! It provided some great entertainment when my children were small and I was delighted to return on a more grown up trip and really take my time looking round it. There’s plenty for all ages here and it’s engaging and brilliantly displayed. Swindon is at the centre of the Great Western Railway - Paddington to Penzance - and the vast Steam Works where the locomotives were built was still in use until 1986. There’s a great deal to explore in this area, including the neatly laid out Railway Village where the workers were housed, the GWR park, the GWR swimming baths (that were heated by the steam works) and the vast brick workshops that now hold the outlet village. Unsurprisingly, all of this is a very short walk from the Railway Station. Inside the museum, you can get an understanding of how it everything operated, the scale of the Works and the lives of the people who worked here. You can work a signal box, drive a Steam Train simulator, climb aboard the Caerphilly Castle locomotive or use the inspection pits to see the underneath of the train. I love the convincing mock ups of the railway offices and stores, the dummies dressed as navvies and clerks. Queen Victoria’s royal carriage stands at a station platform with a full scale ticket office and waiting room. Maps, posters, first aid kits. Bring a few 20p pieces to enjoy the vintage arcade. Every bit of the museum has hands on opportunities and the collection of Railway Memorabilia is - in my opinion - far more extensive, interesting and cleverly displayed than the offering from the London Transport Museum. You feel like the items are still in use and being enjoyed. This is a safe bet for a railway lover and it’s all indoors and fairly accessible. It’s bigger than you think and you probably want around three hours to visit. Steam has an impressive entrance, clean modern toilets and a very small cafe. (The maze of restaurants in the adjoining outlet village gives you plenty of other food options). The gift shop is a little bland and needs more railway gift options, but it’s not bad. Staff are friendly and exceptionally knowledgeable. Thanks for another great day out.