GWSR General Discussion and Operations

6880 'Betton Grange' & 4079 'Pendennis Castle' double-heading on today's 'Train 2' diagram.



And some wider coverage of 4079 during its visit to the GWSR.

 

Here's my footage of Pendennis Castle and Betton Grange in action at the GWSR over the weekend. I hope you enjoy it.

 

A few from me today after a very enjoyable day on the railway with no other duties for a change!

 

Superb pictures, particularly the ones at Broadway.

 

Indeed ! I was there ….

 

A few from a nice day yesterday, the evening light at Racecourse certainly made for a lovely scene!

 

For a bit of fun, change the playback speed to 3 or 4 times normal.

 

A little belated, but here's a few sequences from me of Pendennis and Betton at work on New Year's Eve. Hope you enjoy it

 

I did as suggested and it looked and sounded excellent, as if the loco was at speed along the main line again. It's not something I usually play around with but it certainly made for some good viewing, as did the original at normal speed. An excellent video.

Cheers,

PLP

 

I meant no criticism or dislike of the video as made. Post #1890 provides the answer. Two experiences for the price of one.

 

The new weed killing van is a mildly impressive construct.

I wonder if any other lines need such weed killing vans? If so, perhaps there's another useful side business, to go along with re-covered coach seats!

Noel

 

There's only so many wagons I'm prepared to see sacrificed!

A couple of pics of progress so far, heavily inspired by a very similar job at the East Lancs:

 

Go on- at least it has found a genuine use, infinitely better than a rotting graffiti magnet in Hunting Butts tunnel. Most heritage lines have at least one low-pedigree wagon they could repurpose for a greater good.

 

Reported in the latest Heritage Railway magazine that 80105 has been withdrawn with firebox issues requiring a boiler lift to fix, so won't be visiting the GWSR on hire for the 2026 season as planned.

 

34070 'Manston' announced as visiting the GWSR from the end of April until early July, courtesy of Southern Locomotives Ltd & the Swanage Railway.

 

Excellent news from the GWSR. <BJ>

Locomotive Announcement!
''We are delighted to share the news that Southern Railway Battle of Britain Class No. 34070 Manston will be visiting the Cotswolds from the end of April until early July. Which means that it will feature in our Cotswold Festival of Steam gala in May!
This much-loved Bulleid Pacific will be in action during its stay, offering plenty of opportunities to see and hear this classic Southern locomotive at work.
Our sincere thanks go to the Swanage Railway and the locomotive’s owners, Southern Locomotives Ltd, for making this visit possible.
Further details about the CFoS gala will be shared soon — we can’t wait to welcome Manston to the Cotswolds!''
www.gwsr.com
#gwsr #manston #gwsrcotswolds #locomotiveannouncement #gwsr #cotswoldfestivalofsteam #CFoS
Martyn Tattam

 

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust has announced it will be closing its Stanway Viaduct appeal on the 31st January 2026, following successful repairs to the waterproofing membrane.

Thanks to the generosity of members, volunteers and donors from around the world, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway PLC were able to complete works replacing the waterproof membrane and deck during the winter of 2023/24, with the track being lifted as soon as the operating season had finished that November.

Following completion of the repairs, a routine examination of the viaduct was carried out in late 2024, with a detailed report delivered and reviewed in 2025. This report clarified the extent of the essential outstanding work, and we are pleased to confirm that the funds raised through the appeal are sufficient to deliver these repairs.

With the primary objectives of the appeal now achieved, the Stanway Viaduct Appeal will formally close on 31 January. The Trust would like to thank everyone who contributed, supported and shared the appeal, helping to secure the future of one of the railway’s most significant structures.

 

That is really good to read, both for itself and also to show how an appeal can be successfully closed off.

Bravo

 

Congratulations.
The NYMR could probably do with some guidance on running successful bridge appeals if anyone’s available to help.