STEAM RAILWAY
IntroductionThe Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) is a standard gauge heritage railroad 13.8 miles (22.2 kliks) in length located in the Cotswolds, England, United Kingdom, operating on the former Great Western main line from Birmingham to Cheltenham. The main station, administration, locomotive shop, cafe, souvenir and model shop are located at Toddington. Steam, diesel, and Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains operate from March to the end of December. During January, February, and November the line closes for maintenance. In addition to regular train services there are special events including steam and diesel galas, Wartime in the Cotswolds, Easter Eggspress, and Santa Specials.
HistoryThe Great Western Railway of 1833, originally a broad gauge line (first 7 feet then 7 feet 1/4 inch), connected London with the south-west and west of England, the West Midlands, and most of Wales. One portion of that system was known as the Honeybourne Line which connected Birmingham with Cheltenham. By 1979 it was a run-down standard gauge double track line when track was lifted.
Rehabilitation of the line by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) preservation group began in 1984 with just slightly more than 700 yards of track being re-laid at Toddington. By 1987 track laying to the southwest had reached Winchcombe.
Track laying continued from Winchcombe over the next few years, through the 693 yard (634 metre) long Greet Tunnel, and past the villages of Gretton Halt (1990), Gotherington (1997), and into Bishops Cleeve.
The final stretch into Cheltenham Racecourse was completed in 2003. Cheltenham Borough Council has placed a protected status on the former track bed south of Cheltenham Racecourse to Cheltenham Spa where the GWSR might at some point connect to Network Rail.
North of Toddington track laying reached Broadway as recently as 2018. A new station there was built by volunteers in the style of the original which had been completely demolished when the line closed. The original intent of the GWSR preservation group was to resurrect the line north of Broadway to Stratford-upon-Avon. Over time roadway improvements have made this wish unlikely so that now the intent is to lay track just 5 miles north of Broadway into Honeybourne.
Coming from a Canadian province, British Columbia, where land slips, or rock slides, are commonplace it seemed unusual to learn that the GWSR had suffered from two land slips. At Gotherington in 2010 and at Chicken Curve in 2011 (Love that name!). Apparently, embankments gave way, cutting the railway in half with temporary operations set up to continue with an interrupted service. By 2012 both had been repaired so that normal end to end service could resume. The estimated cost being about £850,000 ($1,476,967. in today's Canadian dollar).
RosterA complete roster of Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway steam, diesel, DMU's, and coaching stock may be found here on Wikipedia.
Folders
YouTube Video
Possibly the biggest steam gala of the year took place at the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Steam Railway with some big name locomotives on display at the Cotswold Festival of Steam. Action is captured on the Sunday which saw, wet, cloudy, warm, and partly sunny conditions. The video showcases the visiting engines, with a few shots of the resident engines, and some interesting double-headed, top and tail, combinations - 28 May 2018 Videographer unknown.
News Articles31 Jan 2012 - GWSR Heritage Railway Embankment Repairs Begin
30 Oct 2012 - GWSR Reopens After £1 Million Repair
29 Dec 2012 - GWSR Wins Major Award
23 Nov 2014 - GWSR Extension Work Begins
20 Sep 2017 - Thomas the Tank Engine is Coming to Cheltenham...
22 Dec 2017 - GWSR Gears Up for Post Christmas Extravaganza
31 Mar 2018 - The First Train Departs from Broadway Station...
24 Apr 2018 - Nazi and SS Uniforms Will NOT be Allowed
7 May 2018 - GWSR Bridge Plea
23 Jun 2018 - Fire on Railway Stops Trains in Cheltenham
18 Oct 2018 - Train Driver Who Gets Up at the Crack of Dawn So...
25 Jan 2019 - GWSR has Best Year Ever
Join the Railway
Associated LinksGloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway (Link fails 2 Jan 2023)
Warwickshire Railways (Link fails 8 Nov 2022)
Swindon Steam Railway Museum (STEAM)
Bibliography
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Snow Hill to Cheltenham, TheSiviter, Roger2003Past and Present Publishing Ltd.Paperback.112 pages 17.2 x 23.8 cm £12.79 (used)Once used by the Wolverhampton-Penzance Cornishman Express, the former GWR Birmingham-Cheltenham line is a scenic route rich in contrasts, a mixture of modern commuter line, abandoned track bed, and two well-established preservation centres, as well as including a stretch of line frequented by steam-hauled specials.
Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, TheRanieri, Malcolm2010Halsgrove.Hardcover.144 pages 23.8 x 22.3 cm £14.99 (new)The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway lies on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, and its ten mile line runs through some glorious scenery with views across the Vale of Evesham to the Malverns. From the early-1980s the railway has gradually expanded from the village of Toddington to the current terminus at Cheltenham Race Course. The completely volunteer workforce have rebuilt the original Great Western main line from derelict condition to its current award winning state. Each year it carries over 70,000 passengers and is a major tourist attraction in Gloucestershire. The scenery is typical Cotswolds, rolling hills, woods, fields, ancient, attractive, hamlets and villages, restored Great Western stations, not forgetting the second longest tunnel in preservation, culminating in the unusual Cheltenham Race Course Station on the outskirts of Cheltenham. Malcolm Ranieri has been a volunteer on the railway for over fifteen years and for the last two decades has photographed it in all its moods and in all seasons, glorying especially in the delightful Cotswold scenery through which it runs.
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Past and Present, TheWhitehouse, John2019Past and Present Publishing Ltd.Hardcover.160 pages 17.2 x 23.8 cm £34.00 (new)Considerable further rare and interesting past images have come to light since the publication of the earlier Past and Present volume on the line from Snow Hill to Cheltenham in the series by Roger Siviter (now long out of print), and John Whitehouse has been persuaded to venture forth armed with a new selection of past images to capture the present day scene. Many new locations have been visited and once again responding to popular demand the preserved line from Cheltenham Racecourse to the newly opened Broadway station forms the core of this brand new offering. Such has been the popularity of the hardback Limited Editions of previous Past and Present volumes with 32 extra pages, signed by the author, and including Subscribers names we are once again offering a Limited Edition of this new volume subject to sufficient demand.
