See the Cotswolds on vintage diesel trains this summer
The sights and sounds of 60-year-old diesel traction come to the West Country this summer. Vintage trains from the heyday of British Rail will be chugging their way through more than 14 miles of idyllic Cotswolds[1] countryside.
Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway’s[2] annual Summer Heritage Diesel Gala is the flagship event for the railway’s resident diesel locomotive fleet. It takes place between Friday July 7 and Sunday July 9.
Up to ten trains will operate each day between Broadway and Cheltenham Racecourse, with additional trains running between Toddington and Cheltenham Racecourse. Trains will pass the railway’s iconic structures of Stanway Viaduct, Greet Tunnel and stop at picturesque period stations.
Diesel traction came to the fore with the end of steam during the mid-1960s, by which time many of the railway’s resident fleet had entered service hauling trains all across the country.
Diesel and electric traction could be found on a multitude of services, from fast expresses on the East Coast Mainline and the West Coast Mainline, inter-city services, cross-country workings and heavy freight operations, as well as popular summer holiday excursions to many familiar seaside resorts which were often hauled by freight locomotives not normally used on passenger services.
Organisers said the festival is an event “not to be missed”. A spokesman said: “The weekend is a celebration of these locomotives which originated from a very different time in our railway history, a time of great change, a time of technological and mechanical advancement, and a time of modernisation for British Rail. There’s nothing quite like the smell and sound of a diesel engine hard at work!”
A full 28-mile round trip can be experienced on most services. Passing loops at Toddington, Winchcombe, and Toddington will allow a 45-minute service all day. At Toddington, the diesel locomotive shed will be open to visitors offering the chance to see ongoing restoration and maintenance projects.
Tickets for the summer diesel gala are available to purchase now from www.gwsr.com[4] with discounts available for tickets purchased online. Tickets can also be purchased on the day.
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References
- ^ Cotswolds (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway’s (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Pretty Wiltshire market town where you’re bound to bump into a celebrity (www.wiltshirelive.co.uk)
- ^ www.gwsr.com (www.gwsr.com)
- ^ sign up to our newsletters (www.wiltshirelive.co.uk)