An inspection of locomotive no. 850 Lord Nelson - which was billed as the star attraction at the GWR's Cotswold Festival of Steam has confirmed that further repairs are needed to the foundation ring in engine's firebox. This won't be carried out before the weekend - which means that this huge, green steam machine will be placed on the unloading road in the car park at Toddington so visitors can make give it a close inspection.  It will also be possible to visit the footplate and get an idea what life might have been like for drivers and firemen in the great days of steam.

Lord Nelson was one of just 16 pioneering members of a class of Southern Railway locomotives designed to handle the heaviest express trains from London to the South Coast and all were named after Royal Navy admirals. When introduced in 1926, they were the most powerful locomotives of their type in the country and, including the enormous tender (which carries 5,000 gallons of water and six tons of coal), the longest 4-6-0's ever to run in the UK.

The timetable will be changed to reflect the unfortunate loss of Lord Nelson but there is nevertheless a fantastic range of interesting locomotives working throughout the coming weekend. We'll confirm the working roster shortly.