Spring into action at the GWR Diesel Gala
posted 31st March 2006

The GWR’s Spring Diesel Gala is this coming weekend – 31st March and 1st and 2nd April. The event presents a wide range of classes and operational variety, all working to a challenging timetable. The event will without doubt bring back not-too-distant memories of loco-hauled freight and passenger services and of course, nostalgia by the tank full. Remember too, that this is the Centenary of the line and, at the end of steam, many classes in operation this weekend worked over the route before closure in 1979 – so diesel traction played an important part in the line’s history.

Every diesel locomotive available from what is probably the UK’s finest main-line diesel collection will be working. Highlights include opposite power extremes: visiting Load Haul-liveried class 56 no 56003 (the only Romanian-built example of the class in preservation), which develops 2,400 hp and SR class 73 electro-diesel no 73129 which, when not drawing power from the third rail, develops just 600 hp. Find out more about the class 73 here. Recently-outshopped ‘triple-grey’ Freightliner class 47, no 47376, will also be in action and you can find out more about this class by clicking here.

There will be plenty of double-headed running with a range of locomotive combinations, while an intensive service of local freight and passenger trains will operate between Toddington and Winchcombe.

Normal fares apply, offering one of the country’s best-value diesel events. Lineside passes are also available from Toddington booking office – please wear a high visibility jacket while on the lineside; please don’t put yourself or others in danger and please note that Greet Tunnel is strictly out of bounds.

Click here to download the working timetable. This is a printable PDF document.

Black Prince on holiday
posted 26th March 2006

As explained in an earlier news item, David Shepherd's 9F 2-10-0 is currently playing a starring role in the West Somerset Railway's celebration of the 40th anniversary of closure of the much-loved Somerset & Dorset Railway.

Black Prince, 92203, at the West Somerset railway, pictured by Don Bishop of the WSR.

92203 was for a time, one of the locomotives that worked heavy expresses over this route. Black Prince only just made it, though - following replacement of its cracked cylinder cover with one borrowed from no. 70000 Britannia. Black Prince is expected to return to the GWR early in April.

Pushing water uphill?
posted 25th March 2006

On Friday 17th March, the National Railway Museum's 4-4-0 City of Truro collected Foremarke Hall's freshly out-shopped tender from Carriage & Wagon at Winchcombe, as the engine returned with the empty stock from that morning's Cheltenham Festival special. Then with the train in tow, the tender was propelled back to Toddington where it was reunited with Foremarke Hall. So this remarkable picture, captured by A.J.Protherough, shows one of the oldest tenders in regular use, coupled with definitely the newest.

See our earlier Latest News items on the Hawksworth-designed tender which has received a completely new tank in only 10 weeks. Is this a record?

Flag & Whistle - under new management!
posted 25th March 2006

After a long and distinguished time as franchisee of the Flag & Whistle tea rooms at Toddington station, Val Owen has hung up her apron and for the new season, another Val - this time Val Hoskin - has taken over.

The season has got off to a good start with the 'Flag' being extremely busy - perhaps because the cold snap has been driving visitors into the warm! Explains Val, "Val Owen did a marvellous job and rightly earned a lot of compliments, especially for her home-made cakes. We're following in that tradition and we hope to expand the range of snacks and meals on offer. The important thing is that visitors enjoy their day with us to the full - and the quality of catering is a vital part of their experience."

And for working volunteers? "Snacks and hot meals will continue to be offered at discounted prices in the staff dining room - after all, a good lunch is the fuel that railway volunteers run on!"

Running the 'Flag' is clearly a family affair and Val Hoskin carries on in that tradition. Val Owen has been a volunteer on the GWR since the beginning in 1981, as was husband Garry who went on to undertake a number of management roles and is now Chairman of Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Plc. Meanwhile, Val Hoskin's husband Mike is head of the steam locomotive department while son Kevin runs the machine shop. And daughter Stefanie can usually be found behind the Flag & Whistle's counter!

Click here for sample Flag & Whistle menu (this is a PDF file).

Diesel Gala Working Timetable now available
posted 24th March 2006, updated 25th 2006

The working timetable for the first event of the year, the Spring Diesel Gala, is now available. You can download the timetable by clicking here. This is a PDF file.

On a related note, The Growler Group’s 37324 is going on a short trip to the seaside. Read more in their official press release, or visit their website for more details.

Please note that this timetable is intended primarily for use by the GWR volunteers, and is subject to change without notice. GWR can accept no responsibility for the content or availability of other websites.

Timetable change for 26th March
posted 24th March 2006

For operational reasons, the timetable to which the trains will run to on 26th March will be the blue timetable, rather than the gold timetable. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

‘Waters End’ on the international film festival trail!
posted 22nd March 2006

Astute readers will remember news items about the short mystery film, Waters End, which has been produced by Flat Broke Films of Cheltenham. The story, set in early 1960s rural Gloucestershire, follows a sentimental journey with a hint of menace and an unexpected ending. It starts in the first-class compartment of a steam-hauled train (provided by the GWR, the train headed by Foremarke Hall) where we meet Mary who is travelling to Waters End (Winchcombe) on an annual pilgrimage to her late husband’s grave. On the train she meets a wealthy Lord who joins her as the train passes through a tunnel – and then offers her a lift in his chauffeur -driven Alvis car. For the unexpected turn taken in the story you’ll just have to see the film!

The cast includes our very own former Cheltenham Liberal Democrat MP Nigel (now Lord) Jones, who acts as the chauffeur in the film. A 15-minute version of the film, which was shot entirely on location in the Cotswolds and Cheltenham, has been entered into a range of UK and international film festivals and has been accepted for the 2006 Cannes film festival. A ‘collectors edition’ DVD will shortly be available including the Festival version of the film in both colour and black-and-white as well as a full-colour extended version. In addition the DVD includes unseen footage of the GWR, an interview with Lord Nigel Jones and a selection of out-takes.  The DVD will be available for £7.50 in a number of outlets in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds including the GWR shop at Toddington station.

Lord Nigel Jones (pictured during his visit to the GWR on the occasion of the opening of Cheltenham Race Course station – he is on the footplate of Schools class 4-4-0 30926 ‘Cheltenham (aka 30925 ‘Repton’) has given us a witty narrative of his first taste of life as a film star – and thinks there are similarities with life as an MP.

Click here for a News Extra of Lord Nigel’s oblique and enjoyable view.

Foremarke Hall tender finished
posted 21st March 2006

As mentioned in the latest Carriage & Wagon department report the brand new Hawksworth tender for Modified Hall class no. 7903 Foremarke Hall has been occupying the workshop at Winchcombe over recent days. It has now been returned to Toddington to be reunited with the locomotive following painting and varnishing. Here, with the 1950's 'cycling lion' British Railways transfer already in place, the painstaking task of lining the tender was in progress on Saturday 11th March. Photo by Jim Clarke, Chairman of the Foremarke Hall Transport Trust.

4,000 miles for Foremarke Hall
posted 19th March 2006

The number of miles covered by steam locomotives on the GWR during 2005 was nearly 13,000 miles, over 231 steam days. Leading the pack was Modified Hall no. 7903 Foremarke Hall which has proved to be a reliable performer, with over 4,000 miles passing beneath its wheels during the year. However, it was absent from the GWR for a some days during the summer when it visited the Severn Valley Railway and the opportunity was taken to undertake some boiler work while there.

Other high rollers were the ever-popular Collett 0-6-0 no. 3205 with over 3,000 miles to its credit. Visiting Hall class no. 4936 Kinlet Hall and David Shepherd’s 9F Black Prince both clocked up in excess of 2,000 miles.

In the table below, we have compared the 2004 statistics for those locomotives that were with us then. Of particular note is no. 92203 which only operated during its October 2004 launch event, because of concerns about its driving wheels, which were subsequently retyred. The locomotive entered traffic fairly late into the 2005 season but is expected to be a significant performer on the line this year.

Andrew Goodman’s pannier tank no. 9642 managed only six steam days on the GWR with another six on the Churnet Valley before a flue tube failed. As the engine was close to expiry of its boiler certificate a repair was not considered to be worthwhile.

Note that we have included visits made by locomotives to other lines. The most widely travelled was Foremarke Hall, which graced Gala events at both the Llangollen and Severn Valley railways. Meanwhile, the trusty Hunslet 0-6-0ST King George didn’t figure in the statistics as it spent the entire year at the East Anglian Railway Museum’s short line at Chappel in Essex, where it remains for the 2006 season.

Locomotive Miles (2004) Days (2004) Notes 7903 Foremarke Hall 4,064  (2,582) 73 (48) + 2 days at Llangollen + 5 days at Severn Valley 3205 3,307 (1,625) 57 (34)   4936 Kinlet Hall 2,205 39 4 main line trips mid-year 92203 2,066 (10) 41 (3) + 3 days at Mid-Hants 9642 303 6 + 6 days at Churnet Valley 3440 City of Truro 472 (1,044) 7 (20) Several visits to other lines 35005 Canadian Pacific 248 4 Visiting from Mid-Hants Thomas (aka 47298) 96 (96) 4 (4)   King George 0 (123) 0 (39) Spent year at EARM* Total 12,761 (13,509) 231 (307)

Notes: Figures are for the 2005 season which ended on 2nd January 2006 with (2004 figures) in brackets. A ‘steam day’ is a day when the locomotive is in steam and working trains. On a typical day, a locomotive undertakes over 60 miles making three return trips to Cheltenham.
*Number of days in steam and mileage for King George while at the East Anglian Railway Museum not yet available.
Figures compiled by Steve Oddy of the steam locomotive department.

Black Prince for the S & D in last-minute rush
posted 15th March 2006

Well, not exactly, but David Shepherd's 9F 2-10-0 no. 92203 will be taking part in the West Somerset Railway's Somerset and Dorset gala event which takes place on March 18th - 19th and 23rd - 26th. The event marks the 40th anniversary of the much-loved Somerset & Dorset Railway which ran between Bournemouth West and Bath. The event is attracting at least seven visiting locomotives that were associated with the much loved and extremely challenging route of the former 'Pines Express'.

Classes that worked over the line included the original Somerset & Dorset 7F 2-8-0s, two of which survive and both will be taking part. Others were SR West Country pacifics, 4F 0-6-0s , LMS 'Black 5's, Standard class 4's and 5's and, of course, the 9F 2-10-0's which excelled themselves handling the heavy summer express traffic, including the 'Pines'. But it was looking as if all of these classes except the 9F were to appear.

This is because it has been 'touch and go' whether a 9F would appear at all - the only other available example is no. 92212 on the Mid-Hants Railway which, like Black Prince, has been undergoing repairs to its motion and valve gear. It looked as if Black Prince had little chance of appearing because it was discovered that the right-hand cylinder cover (taken off to remove the piston so that the rod could be reground) had developed a crack. A search for a temporary replacement revealed that most 9F cylinder covers also seem to be cracked. But it looks as if the Britannia pacifics have the same pattern of cover and one of these has been sourced and will be fitted at Minehead so, fingers crossed, the West Somerset Railway will, after all, have a 9F. Meanwhile, 92212 still remains under repair.

And an event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Somerset & Dorset just wouldn't be complete with out an example of arguably the most successful class ever to work over the route. And the GWR is delighted to be able to help and we off our thanks to many people who have helped to find a suitable cylinder cover to enable the West Somerset to enjoy its special event to the full.

More information about the event can be found on www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk.

Carriage & Wagon report
posted 14th March 2006

The latest edition of Richard Johnson’s regular report from the Carriage & Wagon Department has now been published. Click here to read the March 2006 report.

Not a SPAD*
posted 13th March 2006

While several people have commented on the quality of Zol's picture of City of Truro departing from Toddington - they have also asked why the locomotive appears to be passing the signal at danger. In fact, the signal was not operating due to a quickly-resolved technical problem and the train departed with the express permission of the signalman. So, technically, it is not a SPAD.

*SPAD? It stands for 'Signal Passed at Danger' and is an extremely serious offence - on heritage railways such as ours as well as on the main line. But in this case the signalman had given authorisation for the train to pass the signal at danger.

Racing certainty with City of Truro
posted 11th March 2006

The National Railway Museum's celebrated 'City' class no 3440 City of Truro has reliably handled all of the railway's steam-hauled trains since the beginning of the season on 4th March and, for the time being, continues to do so.

A look at the updated locomotive roster will show that City of Truro is also rostered to handle the Paddy Power Express to Cheltenham Race Course for the 2006 Cheltenham Festival. So race-goers have the unique opportunity to ride to the races behind a true record-breaking thoroughbred - to see thoroughbreds of the equine variety breaking records at what promises to be another excellent Festival. Please note that these trains are fully booked by Racing Tours Limited and are not available for casual travellers.

We expect other locomotives to become available for traffic over the next week or two - again, the locomotive roster provides the details.

The excellent picture by our resident digital photographer, Zol, shows City of Truro pulling out of Toddington on 5th March. Click on the picture to view a larger image in a new window (caution, 158KB).

Tenderly delivered
posted 5th March 2006

About to be gently rolled on to GWR metals is one pretty-much brand new Hawksworth tender, to accompany Modified Hall no. 7903 Foremarke Hall. The tender has been a major project for the Foremarke Hall team and the vehicle has been completed very quickly - in fact, a couple of weeks early! Just about everything from the chassis upwards is brand new. See our news item of 19th February with a picture showing the tender coming together.

All that's left to do now is, well, apply the finishing coat of Brunswick Green and fix the 'cycling lion' British Railways transfers and it will appear as the original did when it was turned out of Swindon works in 1949.

The sleek, all-welded design doubtless contributed to the fast construction of the new tank at a Gloucester workshop - a new Collett tender with its more intricate shape and riveted construction would have been a somewhat greater challenge!

The photograph was taken by Neil Carr on Thursday 2nd February. For more information about Hawksworth tenders, click here. For more on Foremarke Hall, visit their website by clicking here.

Stop Press: City of Truro was steamed on Friday 3rd March following fitting of new bogie springs and it ran to Winchcombe, taking with it the new Hawksworth tender for Foremarke Hall. The tender is now in the Carriage & Wagon workshops where it will be painted. The magnificent photograph, taken by Neil Carr, shows City of Truro at Hailes Abbey - Britain's newest Great Western tender coupled behind one of the oldest!

A whiff of the Sunny South
posted 3rd March 2006

If you are a Southern supporter (and, let’s face it, with Merchant Navy class pacific no. 35006 being restored at Toddington there are a few of them around!) there is a feast in store this year on the GWR. That's because sister locomotive, no. 35005 Canadian Pacific - which paid a fleeting visit last year - will arrive at Toddington in mid-April and remain on the line for the rest of the season.

This follows agreement with the Mid-Hants Railway and the locomotive's owner, Steam Dreams chief, Marcus Robertson.

"This is a great deal for us," says the steam locomotive department's Ian Crowder (who admits to being a Southern fan himself). "With Kinlet Hall leaving the railway in May for a series of main line commitments, we were looking at a shortage of steam motive power right at the peak of the season. The National Railway Museum's City of Truro will also be away during the summer which would have left just Foremarke Hall and Black Prince to handle all our traffic.

"We're extremely grateful to the Mid-Hants Railway for helping us out in this way."

Castle class no 5051 Drysllwyn Castle, which is visiting the GWR for the Centenary Festival, is also expected to remain on the GWR for a an extended stay. This will mean the GWR will be able to boast real super-power this year - with a class 9 (Black Prince), a class 8 (Canadian Pacific), a class 7 (Drysllwyn Castle) and a class 5 (Foremarke Hall) all in service during the summer months.

Canadian Pacific is planned to leave the GWR in January 2007. The locomotive will take part in the GWR's Centenary Festival from 27th May to 4th June - although admittedly, the class never put in an appearance on this line. For more information about Bulleid's idiosyncratic but very successful Merchant Navy class click here. You can also remind yourself of no. 35005's last visit by going to our video gallery.

Caption Competition
posted 2nd March 2006

The results of February’s Caption Competition have now been posted. Well done to Robert Goundry, who submitted the winning entry. Another competition is now up and running (well spotted Steve for getting the first entry in), and of course it’ll run until the end of March. Click here to enter the new competition.

Meanwhile, Darin our “official” website photographer, has been updating the GWR photo galleries, having got to grips with a new version of the gallery software! There really are some excellent pictures in our galleries, so why not pay a visit?

A few days left...
posted 1st March 2006

... to the start of the season, and the end of our 2006 prize quiz! So far, we’ve had fewer than 10 entries, so if you enter you’ve got a good chance of winning the free family ticket voucher.

Click here to enter our 2006 prize quiz.

Click here to return to the News Archive.