GWSR Cotswold Festival of Steam 2015: 23rd to 25th May

They are looking for a third guest so the transport thing has taken care of itself. I'd say the T9 is likely to get 325 more people there! Including me as at the moment I can take it or leave it.

 

Three maybe the original plan, but that doesn't mean there is necessarily the budget to cover all 3.

The cost for hiring 828 from Strathspey, T9 from Bodmin and B12 from Norfolk would be much greater than getting say 1450 from SVR, a Jinty from MRC and 5541 from Dean Forest. Two Bulleids will be high up on the costs (as weight is also taken into account) so the budget for a third tender engine from a distance like Bodmin may not be there, whilst a tank engine or something closer to GWSR is. But then you come back to which railways have what spare/available.

 

Yes. I doubt the third guest will be a tender engine. The steam galas are well worth £40. There's narrow gauge and traction engines and I'm a big fan of both of those. It really is a festival of steam, which is why the entrance fee makes sense. I'm hoping for another guest but I've already booked my guest house!

 

Obviously getting three tenders from every corner of the UK will cost more than three tanks all from local lines. In 2007 they got in 34007, 4771, 88 and an auto coach. 4771 came from up north as far as I can remember and 34007 may have well come from Bodmin. I am not saying to hire the T9 flat out it would just be nice and goes with the theme, I'm not really bothered and probably won't be going, didn't bother going last year and didn't enjoy the 2013 event all that much in all honesty but something like 30120 would make me think twice.

 

I think it can be inferred there is a budget for three tender locos, I'm certain 3 tender locos were what was originally mentioned. However, whether interns out to actually be a tender engine with all the problems the gala team have had remains to be seen. JBTEvans; perhaps might be time to give us another go, 2013 was our first gala for some years, it's down to a tee now. (and c+w will be open!)

 

I'm not annoyed or anything but what didn't you like about it? I actually think the journey is lacking something because it's an ex-mainline.

 

Would you care to explain how it is something can be lacking from the journey just because it's a ex-mainline?

I can understand the comment to an extent if it was the GCR, but the GWSR goes through a whole different league of scenery in comparison to most other lines, few settings come more picturesque then the Cotswolds.

 

There are three things that I can think of that the GWSR might be lacking as an ex-mainline; double track, gradients and faster running, none of which are ever likely to change. The journey is definitely very pleasant; I only really noticed this when I started visiting more lines a bit further afield.

 

Quite true, it lacks those integral elements of a mainline and is probably unlikely to regain the double track and fast running, but that didn't have a detrimental effect on your experience did it?

 

Just gives more time to admire the scenery - and as for double track, there have been whisperings to have some sections double track at some point in time, but that'll be a long way off yet. Once we get to Broadway, if the P'way department ever get board, double tracking would make more sense than extending further TBH, unless we can indeed get faster running authorised!

 

Went to last year's event and unlikely to go to another gala until the line extends. Too much standing about at stations-around 3 hours from memory for a round trip,Laverton-Toddington could be done twice to reduce the standing about.
Similar problem to WSR special events timetable ....

 

This was the only possible explanation I could think of for anyone not enjoying a trip to this excellent line. I think the journey lacks a change in scenery that most other preserved railways have. It's out in the open all the time and there aren't many tight bends or gradients. It doesn't go through a wood or alongside a river at any point. I wouldn't have said the scenery was great but the villages near the railway are stunning and it's the place where I'd most like to live! Ex-mainlines aren't easily appreciated at 25mph. It gives the impression of reliving the experience in slow motion. I know this is a bit obvious but the long distances between stops and lack of gradients means that you don't get a lot of noise from the engines once the train's underway. Every railway has its good and bad points and this is the only possible explanation I can think of for anyone not enjoying a trip to this excellent line.

 

Just various things really. One thing that annoyed me a lot was the early running of a goods train, some 10mins early. 5542 on a morning trip to Cheltenham on the Saturday. If it had ran to time I would have been able to have walked to my location and got a good video of it, but she ran early. If it was a passenger train it would have left on time and the SVR even say in their WTTs goods trains should run to the WTT as they are ran for photographic purposes. Just wish the GWSR would adhere to the same policy. It was a warm day and the trains were overcrowded so I decided to go home early and watch the Champions League Final build up instead.

The GWSR has great scenery, one of the best around for that, but there does seem a lack of things to do which isn't the railways fault it's just where it is located. Not many pubs about or shops locally.

 

I'll think about it. The 2007/8/9 and even 2010 galas I really enjoyed.

 

I remember the freight leaving early. That was a bit naughty.

 

Add in the concerns over putting locos on & off low loaders and the risk of an extreme event as recently befell 6695,
Sending locos across the country by road for little extra reward looks even less attractive in the hard business terms by which owners are compelled to view these events if their locos are to remain viable.

 

One of the things that has changed since the pre Gotherington/Chicken Curve slip galas is the timetable. I would assume this is mostly down to the fact that the loop at Gotherington was put into use. Pre-2010 gala timetables included local and goods trains between Toddington and Winchcombe which I think helped with the variety in the timetable (on that section of line at least). With the second platform at Cheltenham and the extension to Broadway in the near future this will obviously prompt a rewriting of the timetable, so maybe we could see the return of local services (assuming available stock means it's possible!) or just a little more variety in the timetable rather than all trains simply running between the two end points.

 

Just to set a few things straight

1) Many wise words said about the availability of locos for hire, it's not as easy as it may look from afar. A third loco is still being sought and the budget does allow for a tender loco. That's not to say that it will be, but there is no financial impediment to that.

2) 25MPH running is a condition of the Light Rail Order. The GCR may have exceptions for the TPO and for testing steam locos, but not for passenger carrying trains.

3) Double track may happen at some point in the future, many would like it, including me, but getting to Broadway is currently the priority. After that, who knows! I do know that it wouldn't be cheap, major reworks required to track and signalling and it may be hard to justify in terms of increased revenue from visitors. There again, if making money was the raison d'etre for heritage railways, there would be very few of them in operation today.

4) The second platform at Cheltenham whilst tantalisingly close to completion cannot be guaranteed to be available for the gala this year, so no timetable changes have been made as a result. Due to concerns about volunteer overload, this year's timetable starts slightly later and has no late running (possibly one train on the Saturday evening, can't remember now). I am advised that even if CRC platform 2 was available that it doesn't provide any extra paths anyway. The opening of Broadway (currently anticipated as being 2018 I believe) would prompt a rewrite of the timetable. The anticipated closing of Laverton loop next year (points being moved to Broadway) will mean a rewrite, possibly meaning topping and tailing to Laverton, possibly just not going out there. That decision is yet to be taken.

 

What happened to 6695 was just a freak incident. Think how many movements are done per year and this is the first time to my knowledge an incident has occurred since the Royal Scot fire six years ago.