DIDCOT Railway Centre has applied to carry the Olympic torch aboard a unique 1908 steam train used to take passengers to the first Games held in London a century ago.
Steam Railmotor 93 was unveiled to the public in May, after 20 years of restoration work.
It was originally completed in March 1908, just a month before the fourth Olympic Games, which took place at London’s White City Stadium. The centre’s archives indicate it was used to carry spectators to the venue.
Managers believe it may be the only vehicle in working order that can still be linked to the 1908 Games.
The Great Western Society wants the Olympic torch to visit Didcot, so it can be carried in the railmotor between Oxford and Reading next July.
Chairman Richard Croucher said: “Railways are an essential part of the 2012 Olympics, for their ability to carry large numbers of spectators from central London to the Olympic site in east London.
“Railways were just as important a century ago and Steam Railmotor 93 is a fascinating example of how people would have travelled to the Games.”
The railmotor is the only working first generation self-propelled train and the forerunner of modern diesel and electric trains, which do not have separate locomotives pulling carriages.
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