Last chance to see two Halls this weekend!
posted 26th April 2006

You're guaranteed a feast of copper, brass and gleaming green paint work this weekend, as 1929-built Hall class no 4936 Kinlet Hall will be sharing services with its younger cousin, 1949-built Modified Hall no 7903 Foremarke Hall.

It'll be the last chance for a while to enjoy seeing the two locomotives working together because Kinlet Hall will shortly be departing from the GWR for Tyseley, where it will be prepared for a series of main line runs that take place during July and possibly August. See below for more information.

There are some subtle differences between these two locomotives which, at first glance, look identical. The most obvious is the livery - Kinlet Hall is dressed in Great Western livery with the tender proudly sporting that title, while Foremarke Hall, which was turned out of Swindon works just after nationalisation of the railways, carries early British Railways livery with the early 'cycling lion' emblem on its brand-new tender. Apart from that, look for the larger chimney and other differences at the smokebox end; a different front bogie and, of course, a completely different tender. You can find more by clicking here where the difference between the two classes is explained. To find out about Foremarke Hall's new tender, click here.

North Wales and Yorkshire on 'Kinlet's' travels

So where will Kinlet Hall be going once released from the confines of the GWR? At present three trips are confirmed:

• 1 July: 'North Wales Coaster' - Walsall and Stafford to Chester, Llandudno and Holyhead and return
• 15 July: 'The Yorkshireman' - Leicester to York and return
• 29 July: 'The Yorkshireman' - Tamworth, Burton and Derby to York and return, expected to be double-headed with 4953 Pitchford Hall

You can find out more about Kinlett Hall by clicking here.
(GWR can accept no responsibility for the content of external sites).

Truro goes north
posted 26th April 2006

3440 City of Truro has left for northern climes - and is spending the next three weeks at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It should be back in time to play a starring role at the Centenary Festival at the end of May, when it will be joined by a galaxy of other locomotives for the biggest and best event the GWR has ever staged. Make a note in your diary now: 27th May to 4th June: nine days of action!

1st responders in training
posted 25th April 2006

Community 1st responder teams from around the County gathered at Toddington Station on Saturday (22/4) to take part in some realistic training scenarios. The event was organised by Chris Stockman, assisted by the Fire Department and staff from St. John Ambulance HQ at Staverton.

The teams had to deal with incidents in unusual situations such as a cramped corner of the engineering shed and a casualty in the cab of a diesel loco.

All the teams found the day challenging and rewarding and the day was rounded off with a trip on the train to Cheltenham and back. Words and photograph courtesy of Phil Harbron.

Rain doesn't dampen festival spirit for media
posted 22nd April 2006

Wednesday 19th April saw 'City of Truro' gently simmering at the head of a special train for the media, while the skies grew greyer and the rain started spitting. But that didn't matter to the gathered reporters and cameramen - including:

• BBC TV; ITV Midlands Today; BBC Radio Gloucestershire;
• Gloucestershire Echo, Newsquest (Banbury, Oxford and Evesham newspapers);
• Steam Railway, Winchcombe Express and others.

The purpose was to announce the forthcoming Centenary Festival - and after an introduction by Ian Crowder and GWSR Plc chairman Garry Owen (and a warming cup of coffee) - the train set off on a round trip to Cheltenham, with 'runpasts' organised at Winchcombe. The result was some excellent footage broadcast that night with more coverage expected over the week. Press releases have been issued - including an invitation for local people who used or worked on the line in GWR or BR days to get in touch with their memories. Click here to see the press releases and if you have memories to share click here to let us know!

If you are a journalist and would like to be on our mailing list or would like to feature the 'friendly line in the Cotswolds', please click here to send your details (bone-fide media only, please!).

Big hitting diesel gala
posted 7th April 2006

Fine weather blessed most of the GWR's Spring diesel Gala which was one of the railway's most successful. The GWR was able to turn out a wide variety of locomotives in extremely good condition and, without doubt, the stars were at opposite ends of the power extreme.

Romanian-built class 56, which has been on loan to the GWR for the past year, made its last public appearance on our railway before moving to the Churnet Valley. It had received a new coat of paint for the occasion, significantly brightening up its striking black-and-orange Load Haul livery. Also out for the first time this season was 1966-built class 20 no D8137, resplendent in fresh British Railways brunswick green livery.

Other locomotives in action were the two class 47s, early Freightliner-liveried 47376 and blue 47105; class 37 37325 Clydebridge (which will be making a visit to the Swanage Railway shortly), electro-diesel 73129 and class 24 24081.

"The GWR puts on the best diesel galas in the country!" commented one enthusiastic visitor from Lancashire, who stayed with friends locally and took advantage of the variety on all three days. And it's true - the GWR certainly does boast one of the best main line diesel fleets to be found anywhere. The above photograph is courtesy of Chris Taylor. You can see lots more of his great pictures from the gala in our photo gallery.

P&O Progress Report
posted 3rd April 2006

John McMillan has sent in another of his regular reports on the progress of the 35006 P&O restoration. Click here to read it.

Caption Competition Results
posted 2nd April 2006

The results of the March Caption Competition have now been published. Congratulations to Simon Hopkins, and also a special mention to Rachel Bourne (who I thought should have won, but the judge’s word is final - especially when it’s ones wife).

A new competition is now underway, as some of the regulars have spotted already! I am now completely out of photographs for further competitions, so please send your amusing photographs to the webmaster (at gwsr.com).

Festival News updated
posted 2nd April 2006

There have been lots of changes to our Centenary Festival News section. We’ve added lots of information, including details of the locomotives expected to attend, and the ticket prices.

Click here to visit the Centenary Festival News section.

The photo shows 1450 with an autocoach, near Bampton on the former LSWR Exe Valley line on 16 March 1963. 1450 and sister engine 1442 were the last two survivors of the class, retained to operate the final classic GWR auto trailer combination in the country. Both engines survived to live another day in preservation. 1450, and autocoach number 178, will be appearing at the Centenary Festival.

Photo copyright T B Owen.

Heritage railways hit again by ‘daft’ EU legislation?
posted 1st April 2006, updated 2nd April 2006

A recent raft of EU railway legislation (on which we have already commented in Latest News) includes new rules governing locomotive visibility that have slipped in almost unnoticed. The legislation aims to remove a long-term anomaly in the visibility of locomotives and, while aimed at main lines, is likely to affect heritage railways such as the GWR as well.

For many years it has been a requirement for the front of diesel and electric locomotives to be painted bright yellow to aid visibility. The EU has updated these requirements and the scope includes steam locomotives, with the EU Railway (Safety and Operations) Directorate pointing out that steam locomotives are generally black with a red buffer-beam in most EC countries, where they are still permitted to run on the main line.

This ‘anomaly’ will be removed and steam locomotive owners will be obliged to either:

• paint the smokeboxes of their locomotives yellow, or
• fit a yellow panel not less than 2.2m wide and 900mm high, into which a halogen lamp (already a requirement on the UK main line) must be fitted.

Unfortunately, there has been no derogation for heritage railways, which means that from 1st April 2007 - all steam locomotives must carry an obligatory yellow panel - including those on heritage railways.

Garry Owen, Chairman of GWSR Plc commented: "This is yet another crackpot scheme from Brussels right out of 'straight cucumber' box of daft ideas. What is particularly worrying is that this seems to have slipped through with absolutely no consultation and it seems with no objection from our own authorities. There is no evidence that steam locomotives are any less visible than any other form of traction and this is quite unnecessary on the main line, never mind on heritage lines where the maximum speed is 25mph!

"The GWR is already making representations in the strongest possible terms to both the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Railways in Brussels, and also through the Heritage Railway Association.”

A further news item will be published shortly, explaining how readers can make their own protest and to whom.

Picture: How it might be - City of Truro fitted with a yellow smokebox door, which could become compulsory if new rules are ratified.

Update 2nd April 2006:
We promised to suggest how you can object to the proposal that steam locomotives should carry yellow smokeboxes in future. We have arranged a special link to enable you to register your objection. For details click here.

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