TUCKED up in boxes and cabinets at Steam are some of the Great Western Railway's most valuable and historical treasures.

Most have never been on show before, but on Saturday curator Tim Bryan and his team will be exploding the mysteries, as they open Steam's new exhibition, Storehouse.

"There is this perception that museums keep valuable treasures and interesting artefacts hidden away from the public," said Mr Bryan.

"We're moving away from that once this new exhibition opens, our storerooms will be virtually empty.

"All of the GWR history will be there for the public to see."

The artefacts on show in this Aladdin's cave of treasures will range from huge boiler trucks and carts, to the tiny, detailed company seals and tickets, all of which illustrate the huge achievements of the people who worked for this pioneering railway company.

The walls of the Storehouse will be adorned with signs and decorations from the golden age of the railways, and the shelves will be lined with objects including wooden lion heads that used to adorn Queen Victoria's Royal Carriage, a model of the Severn Tunnel Pumping engine and the spare bell for King George V.

A particular favourite of Mr Bryan's is a set of rocks, which Brunel himself collected.

"Brunel was a geologist as well as a railway entrepreneur," he said.

"We are displaying his collection of rock and stone, taken from all the places he built his tracks."

The new exhibition room has the real feel of a treasure trove, with new discoveries at every turn.

"We designed the exhibition to appear in a very mish-mash way I want people to find a new interest every time they turn a corner," said Mr Bryan.

"From now on, anything new that comes into the museum, or anything waiting to be restored will be given a place in the Storehouse."

The exhibition has taken four months of hard work from Mr Bryan and his team of 15 volunteers from the Friends of the Steam Museum, and he is very pleased with the results.

"As usual, things move quite slowly at the beginning, and then everything happens in the last few weeks," he said.

"But the whole thing has come together very nicely."

Steam celebrates the Great Western Railway a success story of 150 years standing, known universally as God's Wonderful Railway.

The museum tells the story of the unsung heroes who built the world's greatest steam locomotives at Swindon and celebrates the genius and vision of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the engineers who followed him in founding the world's leading railway of the day.

This is the first time that a West Country museum has made its reserve collections much more accessible, and the idea has proved popular nationwide similar stores are now open at the National Railway Museum, York, London Trans-port Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

The exhibition opens its doors at 10am on Saturday, just in time for the school holidays.

Steam is open from 10am-5.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 11am-5.30pm on Sundays.

For details call Swindon 466618.