Don Breckon and the GWR

Don Breckon (1935-2013) has had four books published featuring his paintings, a well-worn path for top railway artists – The Railway Paintings of Don Breckon (1982), Country Connections (1986), Don Breckon’s Country Railway Paintings (2003) and Don Breckon’s Great Western Railway (2003). Throughout the books, Don’s passion for the Great Western Railway (GWR) is clearly expressed, although other railways are also represented. Waddingtons issued a series of four, 500-piece jigsaws c1989 titled The Great Western Railway. I have used two of them in previous posts and the remaining two are described below in today's post, 17th February 2015.

On the left is Waiting at Dymock. A GWR pannier tank 0-6-0 locomotive waits at Dymock station, located on the Gloucester - Ledbury branch line, with two chocolate and cream suburban coaches in tow. This picture perfectly shows Don's appreciation of the picturesque, suburban lines which proliferated throughout the West Country.

The second jigsaw is simply titled Picnic. In this picture Don shows us another branch line favourite - the auto train. A diminutive GWR 0-4-2 tank locomotive is pictured heading two auto coaches temporarily interrupting a family picnic. One of two children, a boy, is waving to the passing train and the family car, a beautiful Austin 7, shares the picture space. The community is a subject well represented in many of Don's canvasses; my instinct tells me that Don invites you to join in the painting process and become part of his composition.