This coming weekend May 28th-30th is the GWSR’s annual Cotswold Festival of Steam, This year with the theme “Swindon built” to celebrate 175 years since the GWR’s Swindon workshops opened. 8 locos will be in steam for the event operating an intensive service, including steam runs to Laverton over Stanway Viaduct (not usually possible any…
As of yesterday, Saturday 21st May, the GWSR’s share offer “Broadway: The Last Mile” has reached the incredible sum of £500,000 in just 6 weeks! This should be plenty of money to keep our volunteers occupied for the rest of the year in progressing towards Broadway. However there’s still a long way to go to…
Yesterday, on Monday 16th May 2016 35006 P&O made her triumphant return to steam after over 30 years of painstaking restoration by volunteers at Toddington on the GWSR. Thanks to the generosity (and slight disorganisation 😉 ) of my co-bloggers (thanks again chaps!), I went along to the shareholders’ and supporters’ launch ceremony. When I…
I was rather pleased to be on duty today, as it meant that I was around for the first public testing of 35006 P&O. Yesterday it was being tested as far as Gotherington, but today with service trains running it chuffed up and down the Laverton-Toddington section to keep out of the way of service…
Last Saturday I was lucky enough to visit the West Somerset Railway for their Spring steam gala commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closure of the much lamented S&D line. The stations were all renamed after suitable S&D stations for the week, and an impressive loco lineup was formed, with GWR locos banished into the…
There is perhaps nothing more “chocolate box” in appearance on the railways than a 14xx and an autocoach chuffing up and down a small branchline, and with lots of mainline engines, 1450 was a welcome reminder of a more authentic Severn Valley line image. 1450 is owned by Mike Little, and has been staying on the SVR…
The Severn Valley’s Third guest for their Autumn steam gala was previous long time resident on the railway Ivatt class 2 46521, and was used in filming of “Oh Doctor Beaching!” gaining the unofficial name ‘Blossom’. It moved to the GCR in 2000 but returned for the SVR’s fiftieth anniversary, paired with resident GWR prairie…
Despite being there for most of the event, I didn’t see an awful lot of Britannia during the Severn Valley’s gala. Having seen it twice this year already at the Mid-Hants and West Somerset it wasn’t too high on my hit list though. After several attempts to get Britannia back to the Valley it is…
The Severn Valley’s unique all night running is one of the biggest attractions for the Autumn gala and on the Friday night I was one of those people crazy enough to spend all night on the train. The atmosphere at night on a steam railway is totally different to that during the day, with smoke…
Well it’s been over a week now since I was lucky enough to attend the Severn Valley Railway’s Golden Jubilee gala, and despite misgivings over a slightly disappointing and unambitious timetable I still had an absolutely fantastic weekend, with the added bonus of very kind weather. I managed to rack up an enormous amount…
Loco Yard 