The final report...
posted 11th June 2006

The Centenary Festival is now over, but you can read a report about this fantastic 9 day event, by clicking here.

‘Large prairie’ no 4141 comes home
posted 24th May 2006

In a last-minute deal with the Great Central Railway at Loughborough and locomotive owner John Kennedy, Great Western 2-6-2T no 4141 is visiting the GWR for the Centenary Festival, which starts on Saturday 24th May. This is a homecoming for the Swindon-built locomotive as it was delivered new in 1946 to Cheltenham Malvern Road shed. It spent its entire working life either here or at Gloucester Horton Road. It was withdrawn in 1963 and languished at the infamous Barry Scrapyard in South Wales until purchased for restoration in 1973. It initially moved to the Severn Valley Railway and was later purchased privately, entering service on the Llangollen Railway in 1998, moving last year to Loughborough.

4141 is an example of locomotives known as 'large Prairies', over 300 of them being built between 1903 and 1949. They were very effective on semi-fast and suburban passenger trains working to tight schedules and also saw duty on freight traffic. 4141 would have handled such trains as The Cheltenham Flyer between Cheltenham St. James and Gloucester where the train reversed, a Castle typically being added ready for the stiff climb to Savernake over the Golden Valley line through Stroud. The engine would certainly have been a familiar sight also on the Cheltenham-Stratford line, handling heavier local passenger services and pick-up freight turns.

You can see a nice picture of 4141 on the Great Central Railway’s website, here:
(http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/locos/e4141.htm.
GWSR accepts no responsibility for the content and availability of external sites.

Canadian Pacific no-show - another 9F instead!
posted 17th May 2006

Because of late-running repair work to its regulator, the long-anticipated arrival of Merchant Navy class no. 35005 Canadian Pacific from the Mid-Hants Railway has been postponed again - and now the locomotive isn't expected until mid-July. Clearly, it will miss the Centenary Festival but the Mid-Hants are kindly providing a substitute - another 9F 2-10-0 similar to our own resident, no 92203 Black Prince!

This holds out the prospect for double -heading two 9F locomotives on our line - possibly for the first time ever. No. 92212 is expected to arrive during the week beginning 22nd May and will remain until 35005 is is ready. No. 92212 is slightly younger than Black Prince, being turned out of Swindon Works just a few weeks later, in September 1959. First allocated to working over the Somerset and Dorset route to Bournemouth it was then transferred to Ebbw junction, Newport at the end of the summer and then to Tyseley in June 1962. It would have been a regular performer over the Cheltenham-Stratford route during this period. It remained at Tyseley until October 1966, when it spent the last months of its disgracefully short life at Carnforth. Sold to Woodham's at Barry, where it arrived in January 1968, it was bought by 92212 Holdings Ltd., and moved to Loughborough in 1979.

Restoration was completed in Autumn 1996. The engine was subsequently sold to Jeremy Hosking and is now based at the Mid-Hants Railway, where it has been undergoing work in preparation for a return to the main line. We're very grateful to Colin Chambers at the Mid-Hants Railway for helping to ensure that we are not a steam locomotive short during the Centenary Festival.

Asbestos concern sidelines D1023
posted 16th May 2006

The National Railway Museum's Class 52 'Western' diesel-hydraulic, no D1023 'Western Fusilier' is not now able to visit the GWR's Centenary Festival. This is because white asbestos within the locomotive, has proven to be more widespread than at first thought.  Explains Andrew Goodman, who was negotiating with the NRM on behalf of the GWR: "We were aware of some asbestos on the steam heat system and it was planned to remove this.  But much more has been discovered under the cab floor and, understandably, the NRM has decided that the engine should not be moved.

"This is a real disappointment, but we won't let its loss spoil what is shaping up to be a fantastic event!"

Unfortunately, the offending material cannot be removed in time. At the time of writing, the GWR is seeking an alternative - we will release further news when it is available.

Looking for accommodation?

Well you had better get in quickly - we're hearing reports that local 'B & B's are filling up fast during the Festival. Click here for our guide to accommodation in the area and links to local tourist offices offering bed finders.

Centenary Festival – at a glance
Updated 2nd April 2006, amended 25th May 2006

This page is intended to tell you what’s happening and will be updated as new information is added. So look at this page first!

The Festival to mark the Centenary of the Stratford-on-Avon to Cheltenham railway – over part of which the present-day GWR operates – takes place between 27th May and 4th June. That’s nine days of operation!

The event also marks the 25th Anniversary of the formation of Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Plc, the volunteer-run company formed purchase a derelict stretch of overgrown land and rebuild what was once a vitally important main line to the Great Western Railway and, subsequently, the Western Region of British Railways.

You can also find out about the history of our line and the movement to rebuild it in our history lessons and catch up with the latest festival news. To find out more about the line’s history, our chronology provides all the key dates – from the 1899 Act of Parliament that authorised construction of the line, through opening in 1906 to eventual closure and revival as a heritage railway. If you want to stay somewhere local during the Festival, we can suggest some accommodation and provide links to the local tourist offices who can arrange accommodation for you.

The timetable will be available shortly. However, an intensive service will run during 27th, 28th and 29th May and 3rd and 4th June, including local and freight trains, starting early and finishing late and using all available locomotives. During the four weekdays a less intensive service will run. There will be opportunities to visit the footplates of locomotives in steam, stabled in the bay at Toddington between turns. Footplate access will also be available to steam and diesel locomotives on the unloading road in the car park at Toddington.

What locomotives will at our Festival? Click here to find out.

And what about finding us? Click here for directions by road and public transport. Car parking at Toddington will be in the field (sign-posted) adjoining the station off the Stow road (£2 donation invited). There will be no car parking (except for duty staff) in the station car park itself. There is plenty of free car parking at Cheltenham Race Course (follow AA signs) next to the GWR station – please only use the main racecourse entrance to gain access. There is limited car parking at Winchcombe station (which is at Greet, about a mile from Winchcombe).

While at the railway, visit the Carriage & Wagon department at Winchcombe – and be impressed with the quality of the rolling stock being restored and refurbished here. And at Toddington, the North Gloucestershire Narrow Gauge Railway will be working at weekends and the Bank holiday. At intervals during the Festival, there will be musical entertainment and vintage vehicles in attendance. For refreshments, visit the Flag & Whistle at Toddington as well as the buffet cars on trains. Special fares apply during the Festival.

If you are a photographer, and want to undertake lineside photography, you will need a lineside pass.

If you are a journalist and would like to read our official press releases, click here.

There is plenty for everyone during what promises to be a great nine days – whether you are just curious and want to get a taste of what a busy railway was like in steam days or if you are a real enthusiast out to witness some unusual running and capture unique photograph opportunities.

A 'Castle' in its natural habitat
posted 24th February 2006

Castle class 4-6-0 no. 5051 Drysllwyn Castle (or Earl Bathurst*), will make a star appearance at the Centenary Festival from 27th May to 4th June, by courtesy of Didcot Railway Centre.

We’re delighted to welcome this fine locomotive to the Centenary Festival and it is a highly appropriate addition to the event. The Great Western Railway’s Castle class four-cylinder locomotives were, arguably, one of the most successful steam locomotive designs ever to run on a British railway – offering economy, performance and stunning good looks. Introduced in 1923 as a development of the highly successful Star class, 171 ‘Castles’ were eventually built. They enjoyed wide route availability and handled most of the Great Western’s express passenger trains – happily deputising for the more powerful but route-restricted ‘Kings’ on occasion.

The brass and copper adorned ‘Castles’ were thus an important feature of the route from the West Midlands to the West Country via Stratford and Cheltenham. They handled the heaviest summer express services including ‘The Cornishman’ express, which ran between Wolverhampton and Penzance from 1952. ‘Castles’ were also the motive power of choice for the heavy race trains to Cheltenham Race Course. Indeed, the very last ‘Castle’ in British Railways service, no. 7029 Clun Castle, hauled the last steam-hauled train to the Cheltenham Gold Cup meeting in March 1963.

Drysllwyn Castle will be a welcome visitor – an original Castle class locomotive very much in its natural habitat once again.

*Drysllwyn Castle or Earl Bathurst? No. 5051 emerged in 1936 as Drysllwyn Castle and a year later, ‘Dukedog’ 4-4-0 no. 3208 was turned out of Swindon works and named Earl Bathurst. A dozen other Dukedogs were named after earls. However, the influential peers objected to their titles appearing on such lowly machines. Bowing to political pressure, the Great Western quickly transferred the names to the new and much more impressive Castle class locomotives – so 5051 was renamed Earl Bathurst in 1937. The Dukedogs never again carried names. No. 5051 appears from time to time with either of its identities.

Return of the ‘coffee pot’
posted 19th February 2006

Two important anniversaries in the history of our line coincide during 2006. How are we to mark this joint milestone?

Well, the Centenary Festival will offer nine days of action! This is shaping to be a really special occasion with an interesting variety of locomotives invited to participate. At the time of writing we can confirm the following:

1450 0-4-2T and Autocoach no 178 – by kind permission of Mike Little and the Dean Forest Railway (photograph by Tony Whitby: 1450 propelling Autocoach 178 away from Norton Fitzwarren on the West Somerset Railway). Auto trailers were the mainstay of Cheltenham-Honeybourne services for around 40 years, taking over from the steam railmotors that worked these services during early years and, from 1932, sharing services with GWR AEC railcars. The local trains acquired the sobriquet ‘coffee pot’ by local people, a name that persisted right to the end of local train services. The term might have been inspired by the vertical coffee-pot shaped boiler in the early railmotors. The railmotors didn’t last long, partly because of their limited performance and the fact that they had to be serviced in the relatively dirty environment of a steam shed. The more familiar auto-trailers were handled by ‘auto-equipped’ locomotives, most usually 48xx class 0-4-2T’s but also by 64xx pannier tanks. The locomotive could be driven either from the front of the auto-trailer with the locomotive propelling the train or, of course, from the locomotive.

3440 City of Truro – by kind permission of the National Railway Museum. Click here for more information about the return to steam of 3440. The ‘City’ class 4-4-0’s were noted for their speed as evidenced by City of Truro’s survival – it is the first locomotive to have been recorded exceeding 100mph back in 1904. But these nimble machines were not man enough for the increasingly heavy trains to and from London and were quickly displaced by 4-6-0 types. The class found themselves on lighter semi-fasts and were regularly seen on our line in the 1920s. Except for no. 3440 the ‘Cities’ had disappeared by 1929.

5542 2-6-2T – by kind permission of Locomotive 5542 Limited. The 4575 class was also a familiar sight on our line and, indeed, 5542 was allocated to both Cheltenham Malvern Road and to Gloucester Horton Road for some years. It would have worked local passenger and goods services – for example, small prairie tanks were often in charge of a local ‘school run’ service loaded to three or four coaches that ran between Cheltenham and Broadway. In preservation, 5542 has spent many years on the West Somerset Railway and is currently based on the South Devon Railway. We hope it may re-visit our line in 2007.

7903 Foremarke Hall – by kind permission of the Foremarke Hall Transport Trust. Resident on our line, this is a ‘Modified Hall’ class 4-6-0 built in 1949. Click here for more information on the Hall and Modified Hall classes. Both this class and the earlier ‘Hall’ class (of which 4936 Kinlet Hall is an example, but unfortunately won’t be available for the Centenary celebration week) were frequent visitors to the line, working both freight and through passenger services.

92203 Black Prince – by kind permission of David Shepherd. Pretty much throughout the history of the line, the 28xx 2-8-0 class (including our own 2807) could be seen daily lumbering up and down with seemingly endless freight trains. During latter days, they were joined by 9F class 2-10-0s of which 92203 is an example. As the route was lightly graded compared with the Midland main line, the heaviest freight trains were often routed this way, thus avoiding the need for banking up the fearsome Lickey incline.

D1023 Western Fusilier – by kind permission of the National Railway Museum. Not a steam locomotive of course, but an example of the Western Region’s much-liked ‘Western’ class (class 52) co-co diesel hydraulics, which were introduced in 1961. D1023 was built in 1963. The class were particularly associated with race traffic, hauling heavy specials loaded up to 14 bogies from Paddington and elsewhere to Race Course station. Western Fusilier is expected to remain on our line until September. Other diesels that were regular users of the route and are resident on our line include class 37 and 47 - both classes are expected to play a part during the celebrations.

Although yet to be confirmed, we are negotiating with the owners of other locomotives and we hope to have representatives from other railways, too – for example LMS, SR or LNER. Once agreements are reached, you will be the first to know, provided you keep logging on to this website!

History lessons
From now on, we will be providing regular notes on the history of our railway. Click here for more.