Plaque unveiled for Swindon railway pioneer

A blue plaque celebrating the life of the Great Western Railway's first locomotive driver has been unveiled in Swindon.

James 'Jim' Hurst, was appointed as the GWR's first locomotive shunter in 1837 and worked closely with railway pioneers Daniel Gooch, George Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The plaque was unveiled by Swindon South MP and Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander and sits above the front door of Mr Hurst's final residence on Taunton Street.

The creation of the plaque is part of the 200th anniversary celebrations taking place this year to mark the birth of the railway network.

Hurst was born in Lancashire in 1811 and worked for the "Father of the Railways" George Stephenson as a teenager, before he met fellow railway pioneer Sir Daniel Gooch.

He subsequently followed Gooch south before being appointed as a locomotive shunter in December 1837.

Originally based at Paddington Station, he later moved to Swindon where he lived with his family into old age before his death in 1892.

Describing Hurst as "spirited", the Brunel Institute's Tim Bryan said he developed quite a reputation as a driver.

"He liked to drive his engines quite fast, and sometimes he fell foul of the rules.

"There are numerous records of him crashing his locomotives over the years and he also had quite a hot temper. I think he liked the reputation of being the number one driver."

Five generations of the Hurst family ultimately went on to work for GWR.

Ms Alexander paid tribute to Hurst and his involvement in the railway's early years.

"I'm thrilled to unveil James Hurst's blue plaque today, which not only honours one of the lesser-known pioneers of the railway, but also celebrates the part that Swindon and its community played in the founding of the railway 200 years ago," she said.

"While names such as Brunel, Stephenson and Gooch are synonymous with the history of the railway, there are many other individuals whose contributions played a significant part in making the railway what it is today.

"James Hurst – a northern lad who became a proud Swindonian – was just one of them."

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