17 March 2025: The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) is welcoming youngsters to its award-winning Cotswold Festival of Steam (24-26 May) on the Bank Holiday Monday, 26 May. The event celebrates ‘Railway 200’, a year-long nationwide celebration of the bi-centenary of modern railways.
Bank Holiday ‘Kids goFree’ at Cotswold Festival of Steam
§ GWSR‘Railway 200’-themed ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’, May 24-26
§ 'Kids go Free’ on Bank Holiday Monday (t’sand c’s apply)
§ Upto ten steam locomotives working
§ Doorsthrown open to locomotive and carriage works
17 March 2025: TheGloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) is welcoming youngsters to its award-winning Cotswold Festival of Steam (24-26 May) on the Bank Holiday Monday, 26 May. The event celebrates‘ Railway 200’, a year-long nationwide celebration of the bi-centenary of modern railways.
The Festival will see up to ten steam locomotives operating over the 14-mile Cotswold line, between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway. Joining the GWSR’s home fleet of five steam locomotives will be locomotives visiting from other heritage railways. Two have been confirmed so far, a British Railways Standard class 4, no. 75069 from the Severn Valley Railway and ex-Southern Railway ‘West Country’ class Pacific, no.34092 City of Wells from the East Lancashire Railway.
On Bank Holiday Monday (26 May),the railway is inviting families to enjoy the Festival by offering ‘kids gofree’. The theme of the event is ‘Celebrating Railway 200’, marking the bi-centenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which was the first commercially-successful railway to use steam locomotives, spawning the world-wide railway network that we know today.
Tom Willson, Chairman of thesmall volunteer organising committee commented: “This is a very specialy ear not just for our railway but for heritage railways throughout the UK, as well as the national network.
“We are expecting up to ten locomotives to perform during our Cotswold Festival of Steam. And as a special Railway 200 offer we are inviting youngsters between the age of 5 and 15 to travel free (under-5s travel free anyway) – up to three with two adult tickets bought for the event, on Bank Holiday Monday.
“Railwayssuch as ours depend on volunteers – undertaking everything from drivers and firemen, signallers, station and catering staff as well as those who maintain the infrastructure, buildings, coaches and locomotives. With the doors of our locomotive depot at Toddington and Carriage & Wagon Works at Winchcombe thrown open, it is agreat chance for inquisitive youngsters to find out more.
Tom Willson adds: “Education is akey aspect of Railway 200 and our volunteers are always keen to explain how everything works. Many became interested in railways at a young age and love to see young people developing the same enthusiasm – some of our young visitors may well one day find themselves in charge of a train, acting as a guard or working a signal-box.”
Further announcements are expected soon concerning additional visiting locomotives. The railway expects to operate up to 10 locomotives, including on the delightful independent 2ft-gauge Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway (entry free). The timetable will include double-headed trains, non-stop ‘expresses’ and goodstrains. There are opportunities to visit locomotive footplates and ride on the brake van of goods trains (small additional fee). The owners of Gotherington Station are opening their grounds for the occasion and offering refreshments as well as opportunities to try a ‘pump trolley’ on the private siding, while both the David Page locomotive shed at Toddington and the Carriage and Wagon Works at Winchcombe will be open. Also at Toddington will be several traction engines in steam as well as miniature traction engines, some offering trailer rides. Refreshments will be available atall main stations.
Tickets are now available at www.gwsr.com
Locomotives currently expected to operate on during theCotswold Festival of Steam (subject to availability):
Visiting
§ BR Standard class 4 4-6-0 no. 76069, built 1955at Swindon, but spent its entire working life until 1965 on the Southern Regionof BR. (appears courtesy of the SevernValley Railway and the 75069 Fund)
§ SR-designed ‘West Country’ class Pacific no.34092 City of Wells. While manyof these locomotives were rebuilt by British Railways, 34092 is in its original‘air-smoothed’ form.
Resident
§ Newly-built GWR-designed ‘Grange’ class 4-6-0no. 6880 Betton Grange completed 2024. This locomotive fills a gap in preserved Great Western-designed locomotives as all of the 80 members of the class were scrapped in the1960s. It was finished last year andmade its debut at the 2024 Cotswold Festival of Steam. The locomotive is now based on the GWSR.
§ ‘Modified Hall’ class 4-6-0 no. 7903 ForemarkeHall. Completed at Swindon in 1949,it was based for much of its BR life based at Old Oak Common in London
§ G J Churchward ‘heavy freight’ 2-6-0 no. 2807 is the oldest Great Western-designed steam locomotive in working order. When introduced it was the first class oflocomotive in the UK to the 2-8-0 wheel arrangement and the most powerful
§ Younger sister 2-8-0 to 2807 is no. 3850,completed at Swindon by Churchward’s successor, C B Collett in 1942. These were extremely successful locomotive shandling heavy freight trains over the GWR system until the 1960s.
§ SR ‘Merchant Navy’ class Pacific no. 35006 Peninsular& Oriental SN Co is one of 30 members of the class, which handled the heaviest express services on the Southern system. All the locomotives, which were built with similar ‘air smoothed’ design to visitor City of Wells were rebuilt tomore conventional form in the 1950s.
Ends
Media contact: Ian Crowder, 07775 566 555 or press.officer@gwsr.com
