GWSR General Discussion and Operations

Maybe so - but don’t forget that a certain major operator of mark 1 stock on the main line (although not currently) based at Carnforth is exclusively maroon for all its mark 1 stock and seems to keep them in good condition. Maroon is even the chosen livery for its locomotive fleet…….

 

And truly dismal it looks, too.
Pat

 

BR Standard 4MT Tank No. 80105 has been announced as visiting the GWSR on loan for the 2026 season, courtesy of Locomotive Owners Group (Scotland) Limited and the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway.

 

I'm looking forward to that - brilliant!

 

Hello all,

162 photos in the gallery (admittedly some are similar angles of the same shot in sequence) from my visit this week to the GWSR. I have been meaning to visit and photograph the line and spend a day riding before a day doing some photography. The line has some lovely areas but overall access it quite tricky due to the way its built and the roads and structures around it. I spent most of the time from Winchcombe to Broadway as found that to be better for multiple attempts to photograph the trains running on the day.

The line is very nice, stations were immaculate. A thank you to the station staff I spoke to during my visit there, particularly Toddington and the man at Winchcombe almost shoved into position for a shot on the platform. Also to the diesel driver on the days when I was there and the crew who let me look around the diesel shed with the stunning collection.

Special thanks to the driver of the Manor and crew for running it was a 'class 2' for part of the run.

https://www.theblackhat.co.uk/p87884581

Hope the photos are of interest.

 

The GWSR is the GWDR at the moment, with diesels replacing steam during the hot weather. I had a pleasant day out behind 50021 ‘Dave’ today and was pleasantly surprised by how full the train was despite high temperatures and diesel haulage. There was barely a spare bay in the 6 coaches on the 1055 from Cheltenham.

 

Some welcome news for the railway. <BJ>

''Steam is Back This Weekend! We’re delighted to announce that our resident steam locomotives, Nos. 2807 and 3850, will be back in action from Saturday, hauling passenger trains throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. These two GWR workhorses are ready to take centre stage once again! A huge thank you goes to our brilliant diesel department, who stepped in during the very dry spell and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our services running smoothly''.

 

And on the neighbouring Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway we are planning to use Justine (Jung o-4-0 WT) on Sunday and Monday. If you are at Toddington please pop across the car park and have a ride.

 

Just tried booking our usual Travelodge/Premier Inn for the Autumn showcase end of October, prices are breath taking. There are horse races on that weekend at Cheltenham, so that looks like we are not going this time.

 

There are other places to stay other than Cheltenham you know?

 

Try brymbo.com, near Campden.

 

Normally stay in Tewkesbury for Toddington, and good evening dining at at Italian, prices here are over £200 for two nights, far above where they usually are.
Nearest normalish price is Alcester. So other suggestions please!?

 

For the GWR, we've stayed at the Premier Inns at "Tewkesbury" (in Ashchurch) and Evesham.
The latter might be cheaper at a race weekend? It's near to Broadway Station. And an easy drive to Toddington, without the traffic mayhem of the military/industrial area of Ashchurch.

 

Ashchurch now also has retail traffic following the opening of the Designer Outlet.

 

Not checked price since we booked but we are in the Evesham Premier Inn for a similar fee to what we paid in May.

 

One trick with Premier Inn is to leave it very last minute, if they still have rooms available the prices fall away to try and shift them, even up to 48 hours beforehand.
Around now would be peak price time for a stay in October.

Sweet spot for Premier Inn is usually about 4-6 months in advance as the cheap prices are released around then. I booked our overnight stops each way for Scotland end of May for our trip at the end of October.

Otherwise Trivago and Booking.com search all the hotel sites for the best price. Note PI and Travelodge do not appear on Booking.com and are always cheaper to go direct than their price on Trivago.

 

If you don't follow the C&W blog or the wagons facebook page, just thought I'd share our two most recent wagons we've completed at Winchcombe, Open C 99879 and Mica B 79636:



The Open C was a full rebuild from scrapyard condition being stripped down and grit-blasted before paint, new timber, new corner plates and metalwork repairs, re-metalled bearings, and reconditioned buffers. The Mica B started off as just an external re-plank but became a bit more complicated! Both have been turned out in the liveries they'd have worn when newly built with the large 25" letters.

All being well, both wagons should be shunted into our GWR goods train the morning of our Railway200 celebration event 27-28th September. Should be a good event, with an enhanced timetable, behind the scenes access, and interactive displays for each department based at Toddington. More information at www.gwsr.com/events/rail-200-celebration

 

They look gorgeous in that image!

Noel

 

Great job Alex, congratulations to the team!