Cotswold Chatterblog

Friday April 4th, Saturday April 5th, Sunday April 6th GWR Toddington Station, Winchcombe Station & Cheltenham Racecourse Station, Gloucestershire

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR) is running a Spring Diesel Gala over the weekend with an intensive passenger and freight timetable. The GWR has one of the finest collections of heritage diesel locomotives in the country and there will be opportunities to ride behind a large variety of types between Toddington and Cheltenham Racecourse plus a special “Driver for a Fiver” opportunity.

If you thrill to the sound of English Electric or Sulzer diesel engines hard at work then this weekend is a must for you. The GWR is running its first diesel gala of the year and, for the first time, visitors can have a go at the controls of one of these powerful machines for just a fiver.
Driver for a Fiver - Those wishing to try their hand can enjoy driving a class 73 “electro-diesel” at Cheltenham Racecourse station on the Saturday or Sunday. Ticket holders will be supervised as they drive the locomotive within station limits and they will receive a certificate to mark their achievement (conditions apply)

The Power and the Glory - The locomotives in operation over the weekend will include residents - Class 20 D8137, Class 24 24081, Class 37 37215 & 37324, Class 47 47105 & 47376 and Class 73 73129 plus visitors Class 08 08881, which is temporarily on loan to GWR for running-in before export to Libya, and Class 27 27066 on loan from Dean Forest Railway (all locomotives subject to availability)

Paul Fuller, one of the organisers of the event, points out that diesel locomotives are enjoying a growing following. “Many see the types of diesel we have at GWR, which date from the late 1950s to the late 1960s, as bringing the era of steam traction to an end. But many of the locomotives we host have themselves escaped from the scrapyard and are either extinct or very rarely seen on the national network. These are locomotives that many middle-aged people will remember from their childhood - just too young to remember the days of steam. It is a rare treat these days to enjoy a ride on a train with a diesel locomotive at the front. Modern travellers are much used to the likes of Voyagers and other multiple-units which have diesel engines beneath carriage floors or High Speed trains.”

A special illustrated timetable for the weekend can be downloaded from www.gwsr.com and fares for the weekend, which are for unlimited travel are £14.00 Adults, £12.00 for Senior Citizens and £10.00 for Children - A Family Ticket for up to two adults and three children costs £34.00.

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway plc
The Railway Station,
Toddington,
Gloucestershire,
GL54 5DT

Telephone: 01242 621405
www.gwsr.com

Source: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

Tags: cheltenham | gloucestershire | railways | toddington | warwickshire | winchcombe

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