GWR 175 Mainline Tours.

As a precursor to the GWR 175 Celebrations may I point you in the direction of Vintage Trains 'The Great Western Incursion' on 20th Feb 2010.
Double headed by 4965 Rood Ashton Hall and 5043 Earl Of Mount Edgcumbe. Out and back via Snow Hill, Worcester and Gloucester and the Golden Valley to Swindon and Didcot.
Check out the details here....http://www.vintagetrains.co.uk/vt2010_0220.htm

 

Looks like a good start to the year!
I shall be booking.

 

This looks like an excellent trip to get the GWR 175 season off to a flying start but will it actually run? Isn’t the “Hall” out of guage [cylinders] for the platforms at Ashchurch. When Past Time Rail ran the “Three Choirs” with 4936 + 5029 on 4 October 2008 steam was originally planned as far as Worcester but had to come off at Gloucester because the locos were out of guage at Ashchurch. I appreciate this train will be running in the opposite direction through Ashchurch on the outward run but not on the return. If a Hall and a Castle couldn’t get by last year what has / will have changed to enable them to get by next year. I really do hope those in authority have checked the clearances and that this trip does not become another late casualty of gauging and a major let down to passengers at the last minute.

 

This reasoning will also apply to Cornwall.I understand that a King/Castle will not be able to get to Penzance.There is a chance that the engines could travel wrong line to Penzance and work a train back but unless the clearances are to be altered then nothing big of the Great Western will be allowed past Truro on a train.

 

You are quite right and I have raised this issue on another thread. The restriction is a bridge at Hayle. I understand it is planned to remedy the restriction but when I do not know.