‘Independent Railway of the Year’
Plaques unveiled at GWR

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway which won the coveted Ian Allan Independent Railway of the Year award last year - and special plaques were unveiled on Saturday 27 March at the GWR’s stations by Ian Allen, Chairman of Ian Allen Publishing, the well-known transport publisher and creator of the famous ‘ABC’ volumes beloved of generations of transport enthusiasts.

The GWR won the award because, in the judges’ opinion, the railway presented the best all round achievement in meeting the expectation of its visitors.

The award was announced by Richard Bowker, Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, at the National Railway Heritage Awards ceremony at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London early this year. Ian Allan, sponsor of the award, promised to visit the GWR to unveil the special plaques which have been fixed to the station buildings at Toddington, Winchcombe and Cheltenham Race Course.

Comments Bob Stark, Chairman of Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Plc, “This is a tremendous honour for our hundreds of volunteers who have built the railway from scratch since 1982 – and run it both for their enjoyment and the enjoyment of the public. This is why we like to be known as ‘The Friendly Line in the Cotswolds’”

Chairman of Ian Allan Publishing, David Allan, says: “The GWR was a clear winner. The National Railway Heritage Awards are largely about architectural excellence and awards go to national railway schemes as well as the private railway sector. But most visitors go to a heritage railway for a good day out and appreciate value for money, good service, clean trains, pleasant countryside and - above all - friendliness.

“In the judges’ view, the GWR provides all of this, and more. It has achieved an enormous amount over the years - it has not just gone a further three miles with its recently opened extension to Cheltenham, it has gone a million miles in terms of what it offers the average family. And it has done it without an open cheque book provided by outside funding.”

Mr Allan adds, “the railway’s all-volunteer staff provide a genuinely warm welcome.”

Bob Stark, points out that the railway has no paid staff. “We started with nothing more than a strip of waste land and everything we have achieved has been done by volunteers. We’re immensely proud of our railway and that certainly rubs off on our visitors and that has been recognised by the Award. 

“Above all, it is recognition of the huge effort to realise the dream of building and running a successful heritage railway.  It truly puts the icing on what has been a remarkable year for us.”