It was the end of an era. Didcot depot had been home to steam locomotives for more than 30 years.

On Sunday, June 13, 1965, railwaymen gathered to say farewell as the last three left.

No 7816 Frilsham Manor was pictured on the front page of our sister paper, the Didcot Advertiser, leaving the shed, hauling two unidentified “Hall” class engines.

In the shed’s most active days, more than 65 steam locomotives were allocated to Didcot and between 300 and 350 men worked there.

Under the headline “The steam age ends at Didcot”, the paper reported: “Although the shed is now closed to steam engines, about 100 footplate men and 12 others will keep it open as a relieving point for diesel engines, and it will be manned 24 hours a day.”

Arthur Leaworthy, the running foreman and acting shedmaster, said there would be no redundancies.

“Many of the younger men have left for other jobs and some of the older men have retired,” he said.

Frilsham Manor left the shed at 11am, with driver Alan Phillips and fireman John Brown, both of Didcot, on the footplate, towing two “4900” class locomotives to their new home at Oxford.

Driver George Way, of Didcot, and fireman Robert Cottrel, of Grove, rode on the two Hall class 49s.

Among those retiring from the shed was Maurice Youngs, of Broadway, Didcot, who had recently received a gold watch from British Railways for 45 years’ service. Frilsham Manor was built at Swindon railway works, entered service in 1939 and was based at Neyland, Pembrokeshire, for most of its life before moving to St Blazey, Cornwall, and then Didcot.

Of the 30 “Manor” class locomotives built, nine have been preserved, but Frilsham Manor is not among them – it was cut up in a scrapyard at Newport after being withdrawn in October 1965.

Although British Railways’ steam locomotives disappeared from Didcot 50 years ago, this was not, of course, the end of steam in the town.

The old shed dating from 1934 and the sidings around it have become Didcot Railway Centre, with its magnificent collection of Great Western Railway engines, coaches, wagons, buildings and other relics from the steam age. Among the steam engines is Frilsham Manor’s classmate, No 7808 Cookham Manor.