The National Railway Museum's Lord Nelson class locomotive is expected to arrive at Toddington this coming weekend for its stay on the GWR for running-in, following repairs at York. The locomotive, which completed a long and extensive overhaul two years ago, will spend about two months on the Cotswold line and heads the bill of the eight-locomotive Cotswold Festival of Steam , 24th May-1st June. The working timetable is on the site now and you can access it by clicking here.  Lord Nelson operates diagram F; the locomotives differ for the other diagrams.  Details will be posted shortly.

A press release has been issued to local media concerning the Festival and you can read it by clicking here.  So here's a taste of things to come - Lord Nelson, (pictured by Brian Harrington) at the West Somerset Railway in September 2006, just after completion of its overhaul and resplendent in the distinctive Southern 'sunshine' Malachite Green livery. The 142-ton machine was the most powerful 4-6-0 in Britain at the time it was completed at Eastleigh in 1926.