View source for Great Western Railway (RWS)

{{Tabber|tab1={{HV|TheRailwaySerieslogo.png|[[Great Western Railway (RWS)|<small>The Railway Series</small>]]}}|tab2={{HV|ThomasandFriendslogo2009.png|[[Great Western Railway (T&F)|<small>Thomas & Friends</small>]]}}|}}
{{Infobox Railway
|title1=Great Western Railway
|image1=File:NoImagePlaceholder.png
|locale={{flag|en}} [[The Mainland (RWS)|England]]<br>{{flag|wales}} [[The Mainland (RWS)|Wales]]
|terminus=[[Paddington (RWS)|Paddington]]
|gauge=* {{Standard gauge}}
* {{Broad gauge}} {{Formerly}}
|year_opened=1838
|year_closed=1 January 1948
}}{{Quote|There are two ways of doing things: the Great Western way, or the wrong way.|Duck|Duck and the Diesel Engine}}The '''Great Western Railway''' (abbreviated as '''GWR''') was a railway company on [[The Mainland (RWS)|the Mainland]]. It was later nationalised as the Western Region of [[British Railways (RWS)|British Railways]] in 1948.

==History with Sodor==
In 1894, a young [[Sir Topham Hatt (RWS)|Topham Hatt]] was apprenticed at [[Swindon]] Works on the Great Western Railway, at the age of 14.{{Ref|[[The Railway Series|RWS]] "[[The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways]]" p. 105}} It was because of this experience that he came to admire all things Great Western, and allowed Duck to revert from BR to GWR livery when he arrived on [[Island of Sodor (RWS)|Sodor]].{{Ref|[[The Railway Series|RWS]] "[[The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways]]" p. 126}}

Following Oliver, Isabel and Toad's escape to Sodor from BR in 1967, the trio were also repainted into Great Western colours. A further three Great Western autocoaches - Alice, Mirabel and Dulcie - were also acquired for the recently-reopened branch line to [[Arlesburgh (RWS)|Arlesburgh]], run by Duck. Due to its collection of primarily Great Western rolling stock, it was given the nickname "[[The Little Western (RWS)|The Little Western]]", which quickly stuck.{{Ref|[[The Railway Series|RWS]] #23 ''[[Enterprising Engines]]'' - "[[Enterprising Engines#Little Western|Little Western]]"}}
{{Clear}}
==Rolling Stock==
===Locomotives===
<gallery position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center" bordersize="none" widths="133">
File:MainDuckRWS1.png|[[Duck (RWS)|Duck]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainOliverRWS2.png|[[Oliver (RWS)|Oliver]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainCityOfTruroRWS.png|[[City of Truro (RWS)|City of Truro]] {{Formerly}}
File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|[[Minor Locomotive Characters (RWS)#The Dukes|The Dukes]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainKingJamesI.png|[[Minor Locomotive Characters (RWS)#King James I|King James I]] {{Formerly}}
</gallery>

===Coaches and Trucks===
<gallery position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center" bordersize="none" widths="133">
File:MainIsabelRWS2.png|[[Isabel and Dulcie|Isabel]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainDulcieRWS2.png|[[Isabel and Dulcie|Dulcie]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainAliceRWS.png|[[Alice and Mirabel|Alice]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainMirabelRWS.png|[[Alice and Mirabel|Mirabel]] {{Formerly}}
File:MainToadRWS.png|[[Toad (RWS)|Toad]] {{Formerly}}
</gallery>

==Appearances==
<tabber>
Railway Series=
{{Scroll box|
===''[[The Railway Series]]''===
* '''[[Percy the Small Engine]]''' - [[Percy the Small Engine#Duck Takes Charge|Duck Takes Charge]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''[[Duck and the Diesel Engine]]''' - [[Duck and the Diesel Engine#Domeless Engines|Domeless Engines]] {{Mentioned}}, [[Duck and the Diesel Engine#Pop Goes the Diesel|Pop Goes the Diesel]] {{Mentioned}} and [[Duck and the Diesel Engine#A Close Shave|A Close Shave]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''[[The Twin Engines]]''' - [[The Twin Engines#"Hullo Twins!"|"Hullo Twins!"]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''[[Small Railway Engines]]''' - [[Small Railway Engines#Ballast|Ballast]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''[[Enterprising Engines]]''' - [[Enterprising Engines#Escape|Escape]] {{Mentioned}} and [[Enterprising Engines#Little Western|Little Western]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''[[Oliver the Western Engine]]''' - [[Oliver the Western Engine#Donald's Duck|Donald's Duck]] {{Mentioned}}, [[Oliver the Western Engine#Resource and Sagacity|Resource and Sagacity]] {{Mentioned}} and [[Oliver the Western Engine#Toad Stands By|Toad Stands By]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''[[Thomas and the Great Railway Show]]''' - [[Thomas and the Great Railway Show#Trouble on the Line|Trouble on the Line]] {{Mentioned}}

====Companion Volumes====
* '''1976''' - [[Famous Engines]] {{Mentioned}}
* '''1987''' - [[The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways]] {{Mentioned}}
}}
</tabber>

==Trivia==
* Though not an original example owned by the GWR, a replica of one of the railway's early broad gauge locomotives - [[Iron Duke]] - appears at the [[National Railway Museum]] in ''Thomas and the Great Railway Show''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{The Mainland (RWS)}}
[[Category:The Mainland]]
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:Other railways]]