48. The Gloucestrshire & Warwickshire Railway-27.06.19

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2019 > 48. The Gloucestrshire & Warwickshire Railway-27.06.19

A lovely day out with Mike to visit the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway ostensively to have a look at their new station at Broadway. The weather played ball with it being a completely cloud-free summer's day! On the way, we stopped off at Moreton-in-Marsh and before returning home we had an hour or two on the Midland line south of Worcester. Thanks again to Mike for driving his Audi A3.

Click here to search The Archive Files

Images 1-21 of 21 displayed.

802011, GW 06.42 Hereford-London Paddington (1P18, 1E), Moreton-in-Marsh station
800011 'Sir Joshua Reynolds' arrives at Moreton-in-Marsh forming the 06.42 Hereford to Paddington service. Moreton-in-Marsh's down starter signal can be seen to the left with the ugly building that is a supermarket behind it. Notice the extended platform to accommodate the longer IETs and the painting of Zone 7 on the platform, what on earth is wrong with Coach 7 I ask myself? At the time of writing, Moreton remains a bastion of lower quadrant mechanical signalling, but for how much longer; not long if Network Rail has its way.
Keywords: 802011 06.42 Hereford-London Paddington 1P18 Moreton-in-Marsh station

Name, 802011, GW 06.42 Hereford-London Paddington (1P18, 1E), Moreton-in-Marsh station
Great Western has named a small number of the class 800s and the 802s. However, it is disappointing that, in common with other operators, Virgin to name one, they are being named using fancy vinyls rather than traditional cast plates. I think that this is a retrograde step, the classic plates have always been a traditional part of the UK's railway and represent another example of its dumbing down. 802011 'Capt. Robert Falcon Scott RN CVO' stops at Moreton-in-Marsh with the 06.42 Herford to Paddington.
Keywords: Name 802011 06.42 Hereford-London Paddington 1P18 Moreton-in-Marsh station

Station building, Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh station building looks smashing in the early morning sunshine. It was built and opened by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway in 1853. I noticed a number of bilingual signs around the station. I have since read that this was for the benefit of Japanese tourists many of whom visit the Cotswolds due to it featuring on Japanese television!
Keywords: Station building Moreton-in-Marsh

6023, running round, Toddington station
Having moved a set of stock to the down sidings to the north of Toddington station, 6023 'King Edward II' runs round in order to attach to the front of the stock on the up platform. It was pleasing to see so many visitors to the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, good business was being done on an ordinary Thursday!
Keywords: 6023 running round Toddington station

W51360, W59510 & W51363, ECS, Toddington station
With the down platform at Toddington station having been cleared of the stock from the previous day's services, a three-car class 117 DMU arrives from the yard in order to operate the first train of the new day. This particular set, with W51360 leading, is wearing a mixture of BR blue and Britsih Railways green livery. The class 117s were built by Pressed Steel for use on Western Region largely in and out of Paddington. The last examples were withdrawn from service in the capital in 1992 being replaced by the Turbos.
Keywords: W51360 W59510 W51363 Toddington station

Funnel, 6023, 12.15 Broadway-Cheltenham Racecourse, Broadway station
As 6023 'King Edward II' was waiting to leave Broadway station with the 12.15 to Cheltenham Racecourse, I was struck by the marked contrast of the black smoke against the intense blue sky and the typical GWR scots pine trees. The nine-coach train was well patronised including two coach parties. Earlier in the day, a previous working had collected a school, trip such is the popularity of the heritage railway industry.
Keywords: Funnel 6023 12.15 Broadway-Cheltenham Racecourse Broadway station

Broadway signal box (GWSR, 2016)
The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway has done a superb job of building the signal box on the down platform especially as it was built from scratch and not re-built from another location. It was based on nearby Shirley signal box but is built from new metric, rather than the traditional imperial bricks but it is difficult to tell! One thing some have complained about is that the windows are UPVC rather than timber. However, the traditional three panes over two arrangement has been maintained and, if I'm honest, it is impossible to tell, so good are the units! Unseen, the frame is from the closed Aller Junction signal box in Devon, a box I photographed many times in the 1970s and 1980s, for example.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29422481404/x34-aller-junction-signal-box-gw The signal box is a great example of the efforts by the GWSR to recreate a superb traditional GWR station at Broadway, despite it not being quite finished, the station is simply stunning and well worth a visit in its own right!
Keywords: Broadway signal box

W51360, W59510 & W51363, 12.20 Cheltenham Racecourse-Broadway, Broadway caravan site
Technically a pretty poor picture taken into the strong summer sun but one I want to include as it shows one of the GWSR class 117 DMUs arriving at their new Bradway terminus. It is seen passing the Broadway caravan site where the old goods shed has cleverly been put to use by the site. As well as having some covered space it also contains showers and toilets for the happy caravaners! The DMU arrives with the 12.20 from Cheltenham racecourse.
Keywords: W51360 W59510 W51363 12.20 Cheltenham Racecourse-Broadway Broadway caravan site

W51360, 13.50 Broadway-Cheltenham racecourse, Broadway station
Taken from a familiar position that we all enjoyed a generation of DMU ago, the superbly recreated Broadway station is seen from the rear of class 117 DMU car W51360. There is still work to do at the station, not least the completion of the traditional, but new build, footbridge. Once it opens and the signalling is completed, proper two platform operation can commence further enhancing the appeal of the northern terminus of the railway. Mike and I took this DMU service, the 13.50 departure, back to Toddington.
Keywords: W51360 13.50 Broadway-Cheltenham racecourse Broadway station

170520, XC 13.07 Nottingham-Cardiff Central (1V10, 6L), Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station, to give its full and proper name, is a soulless place on the Midland route northwards between Cheltenham and Worcester. It is on the site of the old station, simply called Ashchurch, that closed in November 1971. The new station opened some twenty-six years later in 1997 and has seen a dramatic rise in patronage leading to calls for an hourly service. Unusually, it has a free carpark that, not unexpectedly, meant that there were no spaces when Mike and I turned up for our visit. 170520 passes through the station at speed with the 13.07 Nottingham to Cardiff Central 1V10 Crosscountry service.
Keywords: 170520 13.07 Nottingham-Cardiff Central 1V10 Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station

43304, XC 12.25 Plymouth-Glasgow Central (1S51, 21L), Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station
Prior to our trip, I had written down the Crosscountry HST workings hoping that we would be able to see at least one following our visit to the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. I thought that we would miss the 1S51 12.25 Plymouth to Glasgow Central at Ashchurch for Tewkesbury but it was running a little late so power car 43304 is seen leading the train through the station. Currently, there are calls for some of the redundant GW HST sets to be used by Crosscountry in order to bolster their poor and overcrowded trains both on this route and the Birmingham to Reading and south coast services.
Keywords: 43304 12.25 Plymouth-Glasgow Central 1S51 Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station

166217, GW 12.27 Southampton Central-Great Malvern (2M98, 1L), Croome Perry Wood SO900459
Croome is a lovely and very popular spot within the railway fraternity a short distance south of Abbotswood Junction. Pictures can be taken from the road bridge seen in the background or from the occupation bridge that I am standing on. However, in order to get to the latter, a short walk through Croome Perry Wood is required and the passing of a gate with a 'Do not trespass' sign firmly attached! 166217, having been cascaded from the London area, is working the 12.27 Southampton Central to Great Malvern service. Previous to this, the service would have been operated by a class 15X unit, the Turbo is a small upgrade but one that does still not provide passengers with air conditioning.
Keywords: 166217 12.27 Southampton Central-Great Malvern 2M98 Croome Perry Wood SO900459

220011, XC 09.00 Glasgow Central-Penzance (1V58, 19L), Croome Perry Wood SO900459
220011 passes Croome Perry Wood, located a short distance south of Abbotswood Junction, working the 09.00 Glasgow Central to Penzance. I like the dappled effect of the trees on the side of the Voyager as it passes through the wood but it did need a little Photoshop-fettling with the original image being too contrasty. I still need some persuading that a four-car DMU is adequate for such a service, let's hope that the call to introduce some of the former GW HSTs to ease the problem of overcrowding come to fruition.
Keywords: 220011 09.00 Glasgow Central-Penzance 1V58 Croome Perry Wood SO900459

170108, XC 14.07 Nottingham-Cardiff Central (1V11, 8L), Croome Perry Wood SO900459
170108 passes Croome Perry Wood in south Worcestershire with the 14.07 Nottingham to Cardiff Central 1v11 service. When I visited this spot on an equally superb day during Easter 1984 Peaks worked these train hauling a rake of Mk. I stock, is their replacement by a glorified DMU progress....I'll let you decide!
Keywords: 170108 14.07 Nottingham-Cardiff Central 1V11 Croome Perry Wood SO900459

43321, XC 13.25 Plymouth-Edinburgh Waverley (1S53, 11L), Croome Perry Wood SO900459
If you had said to me some thirty-five years ago, when I was living in and photographing trains in this area, that I would be excited when an HST passed I would have laughed! With respect to them, I did take some images at the time but then they were in the classic 'flying banana' livery rather than this smart Crosscountry paint job. 43321 leads the 13.25 Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley 1S53 service past Croome Perry Wood on a stunning summer afternoon. The 981 feet high Bredon Hill can be seen in the background. Amongst other things, it featured in A. E. Housman's 1896 anthology, A Shropshire Lad.
Keywords: 43321 13.25 Plymouth-Edinburgh Waverley 1S53 Croome Perry Wood SO900459

66093, 11.52 Margam-Round Oak (6M41), Croome Perry Wood SO900459
Mike and I had been tracking the progress of the 6M41 11.52 Margam to Round Oak coiled steel train since it approached Gloucester some thirty-five miles south of us here at Croome Perry Wood. Luckily, it made reasonable progress and it continues north with 66093 leading the train. Notice that the late afternoon sun is just beginning to illuminate the front of the locomotive, given another thirty minutes and it would have been fully on the front indicating that this section of the Midland route to Birmingham is going more northwesterly than north.
Keywords: 66093 11.52 Margam-Round Oak 6M41 Croome Perry Wood SO900459

220013, XC 08.20 Aberdeen-Penzance (1V60, 1E), Croome Perry Wood SO900459
A fascinating working and one that I have written about in an article for Traction magazine back in issue 213. However, whilst the subject of my article was this train it ran to slightly different timings and it was formed of different stock. Then, back in 1984, the train was the 07.30 Aberdeen to Penzance and on this leg of its journey, it was hauled by a class 50 leading a train of at least thirteen coaches. Also, the route was different, then it came together with portions joining at Edinburgh and Carstairs travelling south via WCML to Birmingham New Street. The 2019 service is formed by a four-car DMU, in this particular case 220013, routed via the ECML route to York and then south via Sheffield to Birmingham. Finally, whilst this service has the reporting code of 1V60, back in 1984 it was 1V73. The train is seen passing Croome Perry Wood just south of Abbotswood Junction.
Keywords: 220013 08.20 Aberdeen-Penzance 1V60 Croome Perry Wood SO900459

Rover ticket
My rover ticket for travel on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway was good value at £19. The services were prompt and regular with very clean trains offering lovely views of the Gloucestershire countryside all enhanced by some stunning summer weather!
Keywords: Rover ticket

Images 1-21 of 21 displayed.