The GWR’s Summer Diesel Gala and Bus Rally

Click these links to take you to the information you need!
Summary of the weekend
Diesel locomotives in action
Working timetable – 4th to 6th July
The Spitfire Fly-Past – 5th July
Bus rally details – 6th July
Classic bus services from station to station
Bus roster for classic bus services to Cheltenham, Evesham and Broadway
Fares
Lineside photography
Accommodation

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES, BUSES – AND EVEN A SPITFIRE!

The weekend of Friday 4th to Sunday 6th July will be a bumper occasion on the GWR with the line’s first combined diesel gala and bus rally. The weekend will even be spiced up with the appearance of a Spitfire fighter on the evening of Saturday 5th – but you’ll need to stick around because the flypast will be at just about ten minutes past seven in the evening.

Summary of the weekend:

Diesel power by rail – Friday 4th to Sunday 6th July
For anyone remotely interested in diesel power, this weekend is a real treat.  The GWR has a main line heritage diesel collection that is second to none and the envy of many railways. All locomotives able to operate will be in use on all three days, including visiting classes 31 and 47.  For the full line-up click here.

Finding diesel locomotive hauled passenger trains on the national network is becoming increasingly difficult as multiple units and the likes of Adelantes and HSTs now rule the rails. So this is a nostalgic exploration of the days after the end of steam when the roar of a Sulzer, Brush or English Electric power unit at the head of a train brought its own thrill – especially for the post-steam generations.  Click here for the full working timetable: there’s plenty of choice and your ticket allows you to travel of as many trains as you like on the day!

A Spitfire roars in!
At about 7.10pm on Saturday 5th July, the day will be rounded off with a fly past of a Spitfire fighter at Toddington. The aircraft will (weather permitting) fly in from Winchcombe and undertake at least two fly-pasts of Toddington station – and at an altitude of just 100ft, you will almost be able to see the colour of the pilot’s eyes!  The musical roar of a Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine is a powerful reminder of what this and the other RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft stand for. 

Tickets please! A bonanza of buses!
Classic buses have a real appeal.  The sight, sound and even the smell evoke nostalgic memories of going into town, to work or on coach outings during the 50s, 60s and 70s.  And there is an incredible variety of vehicles to enjoy at Toddington on Sunday 6th July and several of those on show are among very few of their type remaining.  Click here for the full run-down.  And if you are coming to the event by public transport, you can catch a bus from Evesham or Cheltenham Spa Network Rail stations to the GWR’s Toddington or Cheltenham Racecourse stations: for timings, click here. There will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy a bus ride at either end of our railway during the day – once upon a time, most people took a bus or train – or both – for a day out. You can do the same again today!

Diesel locomotives in action:

Class 20, D8137
TOPS number 20137, this is the only ex-mainline locomotive in the GWR diesel fleet to sport BR green livery as opposed to BR blue. This 1,000hp loco is one of hundreds built by BR and were usually seen on the mainline operating in pairs due to the unusual design of cab being at only one end of the loco.

Class 24, 24081
Owned by a consortium of members of the Diesel Department, this ‘baby Sulzer’ loco is a very popular machine. When the Cotswold Mainline Diesel Group’s Class 26 enters traffic, 24081 will be withdrawn for a couple of months whilst a complete overhaul is undertaken.

VISITING Class 31, 5580
TOPS number 31162, this loco is sporting its early BR number, 5580 and is visiting the GWR from the North Norfolk Railway (from whom a J15 class steam locomotive was borrowed over the Christmas period). No. 5580 is expected to remain at Toddington for a few months. Resplendent in a superb coat of BR blue livery, it will be the first time in over a decade that a Class 31 has operated on the GWR. There’s a News Extra feature on the Class 31s which you can read by clicking here.

Class 37s: 37215 and 37324
37215 is owned and maintained by The Growler Group who have done an excellent job on its recent restoration and repaint. 2008 sees the loco’s tenth-year in preservation and is a credit to the Group. 37324, previously 37099, is privately owned but under the custodianship of The Growler Group. Being an ex-Motherwell, Scotland, allocated machine, the ‘leaping salmon’ logo is rather appropriate.  It is an example of a ‘split-box’ design.

Class 47, 47105
Owned by the Brush Type Four Fund, this is the only series-parallel Class 47 with an operational steam heating boiler, although this is currently undergoing its five-yearly exam. A regular, reliable and solid performer on the GWR, this Brush Four is much appreciated, especially in the winter when it can heat the carriages!  Also based at Toddington in the care of the Brush Type Four Fund, but currently out of service with engine problems, is 47376. There’s more to read about the development of the Class 47s (or Brush Type 4s) by clicking here.

VISITING Class 47/7, 47701
This privately-owned Brush Type 4 will be the second guest locomotive visiting GWR for the summer diesel gala. One of a handful of Class 47s converted for the ScotRail push-pull services between Edinburgh and Glasgow in the 1980’s, the loco was latterly a spot-hire locomotive and could be seen more often than not at the head of a class 1 express passenger Virgin Cross -Country service anywhere between Penzance and Dundee before being transferred to Long Marston. The locomotive is in the distinctive black with red stripe livery of Frangonset, a spot-hire locomotive company.  You can read more about this class here.

Class 73, 73129
Privately owned, this electro-diesel was built for the Sothern Region and can uniquely draw power for its electric traction motors either from the 750v DC third-rail power supply, or from its 600hp on -board diesel. Some of this essentially late 1950s design are still running on the main line. 73129 is undergoing an overhaul and repaint out of its current rather tired Network SouthEast livery (during whose ownership it was named City of Winchester) into a more traditional BR blue livery to match the majority of the rest of the diesel fleet. Normally reserved for P-way duties, the loco will make a few appearances each day at the gala. You can read more about the development of these ‘electro-diesels’ by clicking here.

The Spifire fly-past and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The picture shows Spitfire AB910 (photo by Martin Bowman, Crown Copyright) and it is this aircraft that will buzz Toddington at 7.10pm on Saturday evening.  The aircraft is owned by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and it pays us a visit on its way back to base following a series of fly-pasts elsewhere.

AB910 is a Mk Vb Spitfire and was built at Castle Bromwich in 1941 and it had a font-line career lasting four years.  It was first allocated to 222 (Natal) Squadron at North Weald, moving on to 130 Squadron which which it flew convoy and escort patrols during daylight bombing raids.  In June 1942 it went on to Biggin Hill and served with 133 (Eagle) Squadron, taking part in the aerial battles in support of the Dieppe Raid – and is credited with destroying and damaging enemy aircraft.  She continued to fly operationally to July 1944 serving with other Squadrons including 402 Squadron, flying cover patrols during the D-Day landings.  After that she was relegated to support duties and one day, famously took off with a WAAF ground-crew fitter sat on the tail – the aircraft returned with the extremely frightened WAAF still clinging for dear life to the tail! In 1947, the aircraft was privately purchased and used for racing and was eventually donated to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 1965.  She is of course powered by a Rolls-Royce V24 Merlin engine.  The Spitfires are certainly the most charismatic of the British fighters and probably the most successful fighter design ever.

A bus rally to remember!
Click here for a run-down of the buses you can expect to see during the Gala, on Sunday 6th July.

Classic bus shuttle service – Cheltenham and Toddington
To add interest to the day, you have the opportunity to travel on one or two of our exhibits from either end of the railway. These trips are free of charge! It’s also a way of getting to the event from trains calling at Evesham or Cheltenham Spa station – by catching the bus to the GWR! You can download a copy of the bus timetable and what buses are rostered by clicking here.

Entry no. 1 – 1966 Leyland AEC Routemaster

Entry no. 2 – 1949 Daimler CVD6

Entries 5 & 6 – 1965 AEC Renown (left) and AEC Reliance

Entry 8 – 1947 Daimler CVD6

Entry 14 – 1959 Leyland Titan PD2/40

Entry 26 – 1955 Bristol

CHELTENHAM
There will two buses at Cheltenham Spa mainline station one leaving at 9.30am, the other at 10.15am to go to GWR station at Cheltenham Race Course. Then to get back to Cheltenham Spa a bus leaves Race Course at 16:15.

TODDINGTON
There will be two round trips to Evesham station leaving Toddington at 9.30am to meet the 10.14 arrival from London, Reading and Oxford & returning from Toddington at 16.00.

BROADWAY
Between these times there will be regular round trips to from Toddington to Broadway, using a variety of buses dropping off at the Fox & Hounds and picking up at the Village Hall.

These services are subject to availability of buses on the day.  For full details of the bus roster and timetable click here.

Gala fares

Fares: 4th - 6th July – great value for a packed day!
Adult £14.00
Senior Citizen £12.00
Child £10.00
Family £34.00

Please note, no free ticket vouchers, HRA permits or other promotional vouchers will be valid on these days. Working volunteers on heritage railways with reciprocal arrangements (on production of permit to work) qualify for travel at Senior Citizen rate.

Lineside photography
If you are a photographer aged 18 or over you are welcome to take photographs from the lineside provided you hold either an annual or day lineside pass.  You must not enter GWR property without one.  You must also wear a clean high-visibility jacket (buy one in the station shop at Toddington!) and use agreed access points to reach GWR property.  You must not under any circumstances enter Greet tunnel – besides, it is haunted (yes, really!).  Please obey any instructions from GWR staff.  When a train approaches please acknowledge any whistle sounded from the locomotive. Day pass costs just £10.00 from Toddington booking office.

Accommodation
If you want to stay near the railway, you will be spoiled for choice – there is plenty of variety from family bed -and breakfast, farm houses, self catering and hotels ranging from small family-run establishments to fine four- and five-star establishments. You can find out more by contacting the Tourist Information offices in Cheltenham, http://www.visitcheltenham.com/ which has a useful online free booking service (or telephone 01242 517110). You can also contact Tewkesbury tourist information office at 01684 295027 or Winchcombe tourist information office at 01242 602925. Broadway tourist information also offers comprehensive online booking service with links to hundreds of places to stay, at http://www.cotswolds.info/hotels-lodgings-pubs-inns-cottages.shtml

But here is a small selection you could try:

Old Station House, Greet, Winchcombe GL54 5LD – this is the original station master’s house right next to Winchcombe station and only a few feet from the line. Contact Jenny Collier on 01242 602283 or old_station_house@hotmail.com

Irely Grounds, Broadway Road, Winchcombe GL54 5NY – set just outside Winchcombe on the road to Toddington, this is a country house with four self-catering cottages available for weekend or longer bookings. Only five minutes walk from Winchcombe station and next to the railway. Contact Mrs Galpin on 01242 602603 or visit http://www.stableyardcottages.com

Oaklands, 16 Gretton Road, Winchcombe GL54 5EG – a family-run guest house close to Winchcombe village centre and a 15-minute walk from Winchcombe station. Welcoming accommodation, suitable for disabled visitors and you can even bring your pet! Contact Mr & Mrs Anderson on 01242 602272 or visit http://www.oaklandsbedandbreakfast.activehotels.com

The Royal Hop Pole, Church Street, Tewkesbury – in the centre of historic Tewkesbury and a short drive from Toddington, Winchcombe and Cheltenham. 29 en-suite rooms and a lovely beamed restaurant and a bar with a selection of real ales. AA 3-star. Telephone 01684 293236 or visit http://www.royalhoppole.co.uk or email info@royalhoppole.co.uk .

Please mention the GWR if you contact any of the above. Please note that the GWR accepts no responsibility for the content or availability of external websites. The brief accommodation listing above is not an exhaustive list, and should not be taken as an endorsement by the GWR of any of the properties listed.