EIGHTY years ago today Swindon people stepped aboard the future in all its sleek Art Deco glory.

The shape of the machine in the grainy image from 1936 will be familiar to anybody with an interest in Swindon’s railway heritage.

A similar machine, GWR Railcar No 4, has been part of the town’s collection for many years and is currently on loan by Steam to the National Railway Museum in York.

The age of steam still had another 30 years or so to run, but the Railcars were powered by diesel and had a motor at either end, so no turning was needed at termini. The route included Swindon, Cheltenham and Marlborough and the machines had a top speed of between 70 and 75mph.

An unnamed Adver reporter on the maiden trip wrote: “Comfortable, compact, elegant and secure. These are among the outstanding impressions given by an inaugural journey in a Great Western Railway streamlined railcar.

“No 15 of the company’s 17 new Diesel streamlined cars is being used for the Swindon-Cheltenham supplementary service and today’s inaugural journey proved extremely comfortable.

“The streamlined Diesel cars are well ventilated and afford unusual facilities for observation, being all enclosed by large glass panels.

“The cars have two 130hp Diesel engines and can seat 69 passengers. A guard travels in each coach. The overall length is 60 feet with two sections and a luggage compartment.”

We probably began the word “diesel” with a capital letter in honour of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine, who had died only 23 years earlier.

Our report added: “The cars can be kept at a constant temperature of 65 degrees for the winter months, and at an appropriate reading for warmer conditions.

“Today’s inaugural trip began at Swindon Junction Station, thence to Swindon Town Station, Cricklade and Cheltenham, back to Swindon Town and on to Marlborough.

“Mr J Waller was the driver for the inaugural journeys today.”

Only three Railcars from more than three dozen survive in preservation, and only two of the stations visited by No 15 that day remain open. Those at Swindon Town, Cricklade and Marlborough have long since passed into history.