I UNDERSTAND

cotswold festival of steam

12th - 14th May 2023

Remembering local scenes, this year's GWSR Cotswold Festival of Steam is inspired by the huge variety on the railway network around Cheltenham and Gloucester during the heyday of steam. Fast expresses, interregional trains from lines long since closed, local workings and industrial networks, the range was huge. Our home fleet will run alongside visiting locos.

Tickets and Pricing

We offer a range of tickets from 1 day to 3 day tickets that can be purchased in advance or on the day. Our Steam Gala is always hugely popular and often sells out, so we advise you to book in advance. For latest prices and to book your tickets click the button below. The timetable will be downloadable from here when published.

guest locos

4079 Pendennis castle

GWR Castle Glass

Well known for heading named express trains such as 'The Cornishman' which ran over our line and 'The Cheltenham Flyer', Pendennis joins us thanks to Didcot GWS fresh from overhaul following repatriation from Australia.

75014

BR Standard Class 4

A common sight all around Cheltenham & Gloucester from the late '50s on mixed traffic duties; working local goods up from Andover and semi-fast services between Birmingham and Cardiff. 75014 comes to us courtesy of Dartmouth Steam Railway.

11243

L&YR PUG

Although this particular class is a stranger to Cheltenham & Gloucester, they are representative of the sort of locos that worked Gloucester Docks and beyond. 11243 is visiting from the East Lancs Railway thanks to the L&YR Trust.

Watch out for further announcements...

Home locos

Dinmore Manor

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

7820 Dinmore Manor is a British Railways locomotive, part of the Manor Class. It is one of nine locomotives preserved from the class, which originally numbered 30.

Foremarke Hall

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

Although every inch a Great Western Railway thoroughbred, No. 7903 Foremarke Hall was one of the 79XX series, in the last batch of the Modified Hall class built at Swindon in 1949 under BR auspices.

Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co.

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. is a Southern Railway rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 steam locomotive. It was built at Eastleigh locomotive works in December 1941 and given the Southern Railway number 21C6.

Remember those steam days: This was the busy Gloucester Horton Road locomotive depot in about 1963 (copyright Colour-Rail)

Things to see and do

An intensive timetable will be operating over the full length of the line with goods trains, local stopping services including at Hayles Abbey Halt, and non-stop expresses.

At Broadway:

  • View progress on our newest station
  • Browse the Friends of Broadway fundraising shop
  • Broadway station café open

At Toddington:

  • Locomotive sheds open to view current projects
  • Trade stands
  • Goods train brake van rides - A unique way to experience the line, ride on the brake van for a different view! First come first served, an additional ticket is required costing £10, pay on the brake van. Over 16s only.
  • Footplate rides - Treat yourself to something special and purchase a pre-booked footplate ride on one of our home fleet engines. Bookings will be open soon, check back here later.
  • Flag & Whistle café
  • Traction engines
  • Narrow gauge operating steam train rides

At Winchcombe:

  • Carriage & Wagon workshops open to view projects
  • Viewing area beyond C&W workshops
  • Griddle & Coffeepot Café
  • Pug on shunting demos in-between service trains
  • Traction engines
  • Discovery coach and model railway coach

At Gotherington:

  • Private station grounds open specially
  • Ride on the pump trolley
  • Good spot for viewing passing trains

At Cheltenham:

  • Steam loco cab visits
  • Connecting bus service with Cheltenham Spa
  • Original 1912 ticket office open
  • Goods train brake van rides - A unique way to experience the line, ride on the brake van for a different view! First come first served, an additional ticket is required costing £10, pay on the brake van. Over 16s only.
  • Footplate rides - Treat yourself to something special and purchase a pre-booked footplate ride on one of our home fleet engines. Bookings will be open soon, check back here later.