Racing away – special offer for GWSR website visitors!
posted 30th October

The Paddy Power Gold Cup is fast approaching and once again, our friends from Racing Tours are running special race trains to Cheltenham Race Course for the last major meeting of the year (16th-18th November).  The special trains are running on Friday and Saturday, the principal days of the meeting.  Tickets for train only and for hospitality packages are still available and Racing Tours are offering special discounts for GWSR.com website visitors who book by telephone.

Train only (includes Guinness on the way there) - £15
Train and English Breakfast on the train - £34.00

The above represent £15 discount off the usual price.  They do not include entry into the race course for which tickets are available on the day

A few hospitality packages are still available, from £115 – this includes train, lunch, hospitality and hosting for the day.

Book by telephone on 0845 652 8888 and quote ‘GWSR Promotion’. The tickets will be waiting for you on the day.  Please note, the GWR is not responsible for ticket sales for these special trains, you must only contact this number.

Steam-hauled trains depart Toddington at 11.00 on Friday and 10.30 on Saturday, returning on both days half an hour after the last race at approximately 16.15.

On Sunday, the last day of the race meeting, the GWR’s Blue timetable is operating and normal fares apply.  First train departs Toddington at 10.30 (steam) and the final departure from Cheltenham Race Course station is at 17.00 (diesel). Tickets for Sunday’s trains are, as usual, available from any of the GWR’s ticket offices.

You can find out more about Racing Tours’ racing and hospitality packages by visiting the Racing Tours website.

Remember, remember: fireworks at Cheltenham
posted 29th October

Let the train take you to the best fireworks display in the area.  The GWR has once again teamed up with Cheltenham Round Table to provide a Fireworks Special from Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse on Saturday evening, 3rd November. The diesel-hauled service departs Toddington at 18.00 and returns at 20.00.  Tickets available on the night.  Rover tickets for that day’s Diesel Gala are also valid.  Tickets to not include entry to the display.

As anyone who has visited past displays by car will know, it can be a crush leaving the event: traffic is something that the train won’t have to queue for!

Diesel Gala up-coming
posted 29th October

The Cotswolds will reverberate to the sound of diesel power during the GWR’s popular November diesel gala on 3rd and 4th November.   Everything that can run will run: the lineup includes D8137, 24081, 37215 (resplendent in a gleaming new coat of rail blue), 37324 and 47105. SR electro -diesel 73129 will be at Toddington on stand-by. The working timetable is now available and it includes goods and local services, as well as through trains to Cheltenham so there’s plenty to see and enjoy! A note of warning though, if the weather's cold make sure you wrap up warm because only 47105 is equipped with an operable steam heat boiler - and the GWR's Mk1 coaches are steam heated!

There should be plenty of good lineside opportunities for photographs – but please make sure you are in possession of a valid lineside permit which you can obtain on the day at Toddington booking office.  If you are taking photographs please wear a high-visibility jacket and follow instructions of staff.

Those buying rover tickets on Saturday will find their ticket is valid for the Saturday evening Fireworks Special which will be hauled by 47105, departing Toddington 18.00. The firework display is one of the most spectacular you can expect to see - and it attracts thousands of people.  Getting out of the racecourse by car afterwards demands considerable patience and the train offers a perfect and enjoyable way to beat the jams by leaving your car at Toddington.

Birmingham Area Group
posted 23rd October

Details have now been added to the website of the upcoming events of the the Birmingham Area Group. If the other area groups would like details added to the website they should contact the webmaster.

Diesel gala timetable
posted 23rd October

Click here for the working timetable for the GWR’s upcoming diesel gala. The event is running over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th November.

Eastern promise on the GWR
posted 19th October

Not quite Turkish delight, but a delightful locomotive nonetheless: the next visitor to arrive at Toddington is Great Eastern Railway J15 class 0-6-0 no. 65462. Being loaned by courtesy of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Trust, this lovely engine – the sole survivor of a once -numerous class introduced in 1883 – is expected to be delivered during late October and remains at the GWR until January 2008.   The visit by one of the UK’s smallest tender locomotive classes follows the successful trip by one of the largest, David Shepherd’s 9F class locomotive Black Prince, to the North Norfolk Railway during September. The J15 will doubtless delight families travelling on the GWR’s Santa Specials throughout December while the engine will also star in the Christmas Cracker steam gala over 29th and 30th December.

Click here for an interesting profile of the J15 class and no. 65462

David Shepherd
posted 19th October

Apologies to all those who had booked for ‘An Evening with David Shepherd’ during the wildlife & Steam On Tour weekend, for having to postpone it (for the second time – the original July date was postponed because of flooding).  We have written to everyone who had booked tickets and have refunded the cost.  We will contact everyone when the event, in aid of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation,  is rearranged: hopefully during April 2008.

Meanwhile, we’re delighted to report that David Shepherd is out of hospital and recovering well from his operation: he has asked us to convey is own apologies for having to disappoint everyone.

A Vintage gala!
posted 19th October

Last weekend heralded return of the much-missed Steam and Vintage Gala in the field adjoining Toddington station.  After a gap of four years, the rain-free event attracted an eclectic mix of traction engines, steam rollers, model engines, tractors, motor cycles, cars, commercials, buses, military and many more attractions besides.  The figures have yet to be confirmed but approaching 4,000 people visited.  The field oozed nostalgia as much as smoke from the vast range of engines.  Young and old alike wondered at the steam driven sawbench, threshing machine and, of course, ploughing using two Fowler ploughing engines.  The railway benefited too , with over 1,400 visitors opting to take a ride on the all-steam train service.

Here’s a taster of the Sunday, with pictures by Ian Crowder.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

6. 7.

8. 9.

10.

Captions:

1 - Driver of a Burrel Showman’s engine shares a yarn
2 - Watch your fingers – a tree-trunk efficiently reduced to planks thanks to the steam-driven sawbench
3 - View from beneath the boiler of the engine as the five-furrow plough heads away, being wound by the engine on the opposite side of the field
4 - Black Prince makes a noisy departure from Toddington while the 16hp Fowler ploughing engine winds in the plough
5 - A few Fergies among dozens of tractors at the event
6 - A model Sentinel steam wagon passes a beautifully restored Morgan
7 - Fielding a host of traction engines in the ring
8 - Military precision
9 - The GWR’s own fire engines on show!
10 - These are quarter-sized traction engines – lining up outside the Flag & Whistle.

September figures back on track
posted 19th October

Ticket sales over September were amongst the best for this month ever, helped by both the Churchward 150 gala and one of the railway’s most successful Days Out with Thomas weekend.

As a result, we are now 5 per cent ahead of this time last year – and that’s despite losing six days during July because of the flooding and water shortage.

Head station master Colin Dymock says: “A fantastic September for the GWR has more than wiped out the deficit of the last couple of months.  It’s a credit to everyone that we have pulled together to make a visit to the railway a great experience.  That’s especially true of Thomas which exceeded all expectations, numerically and financially.  I think we have the formula pretty much right, too, and it shows that the magic of the Rev. W Awdry’s books is still as strong as ever.”

The Churchward gala attracted 1,421 fare-paying passengers and the Thomas event attracted 3,854.

Here’s the full lowdown:

September:     10,106 (2006: 5,588)

Year to date:    53,109 (2006: 42,913)

Ticket sales at Cheltenham Race Course station hold steady at 22 per cent of the total.

Steam & Vintage Gala photo competition
posted 16th October

Entries for the photography competition from the recent Steam & Vintage Gala should be sent to webmaster@gwsr.com . Please don’t send more than 5 images at a time.

Diesel fleet status update
posted 16th October

The latest update on the status of the GWR’s diesel fleet can be found here.

P-Way update
posted 16th October

The September update from the P-Way department is now online here.

Fireworks special
posted 16th October

As in previous years, we will be running a special diesel hauled train from Toddington to Cheltenham Race Course for the fireworks display arranged by Cheltenham Round Table. The train will depart Toddington station at 6pm on Saturday November 3rd returning from the Race Course station at 8:30pm. Normal prices will apply which do not of course include entry to the fireworks. No advance booking is required - just turn up on the day.

GWR Steam & Vintage Gala weekend
posted 1st October

We are now pleased to announce details of the upcoming Steam & Vintage gala. This event is back by popular demand and features the following attractions:

• 26 traction engines
• 50 miniature steam engines
• 100 tractors
• Steam and tractor ploughing
• Over 40 trade stands
• Cars, commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, motorcycles, military section
• Stationary engines
• Fairground rides, craft tent
• Beer tent
• Parade ring entertainment throughout the day

Admission prices:

• Adult - £6
• Child/senior (children aged 5-15) - £5
• Family ticket (2 adults and 3 children/seniors) - £15

Gates open at 9.30am each day.

Tickets are available in advance at a reduced rate by downloading and using this form, or contacting Toddington booking office on 01242 621405.

The admission prices cover only the steam & vintage event. If you wish to travel on the trains then you will need to buy a ticket at the normal GWSR prices.

The railway will be operating a Red timetable over the weekend with steam locomotives operating throughout. An additional train will run each day, departing Cheltenham Racecourse at 10.15.

For further details contact the booking office at Toddington (01242 621405), Tom Cullimore (01386 882046) or Bernard Dudfield (01608 650894)

Latest P&O progress report
posted 1st October

Click here for the latest progress from the P&O team.