Great Western Railwqay railcar no. 22 - one of only three remaining of the 30 built in the 1930s and 40s - is visiting the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway from early April until the end of May, by courtesy of the Great Western Societ at Didcot Railway Centre. It brings a touch of pre-War elegance to the Cotswolds! Look out for special running days.
Steam-era diesel railcar to visit the Cotswolds
Great Western Railway railcar no. 22 visiting from Didcot
1940s elegance returns to the Cotswolds
Cotswold Vintage Weekend, 11-12 April 2026
GWR Railcar no. 22 is based at the Didcot Railway Centre. It is one of 38 built by or for the Great Western Railway from 1933 for rural and lightly used cross-country services. They proved very popular amongst passengers for their comfort, warmth and sleek, modern appearance.
They formed the very first express diesel services in the UK in 1934, working between Birmingham and Cardiff, over the line that is today the GWSR.
With their streamlined design and their chocolate and cream livery, they became affectionately known as ‘flying bananas’, particularly with their top speed of nearly 80mph. They proved extremely useful, laver versions being sufficiently powerful to haul an additional coach during peak periods, as well as to pick up and drop off goods wagons from rural stations. The example visiting the GWSR is powered by two 6-cylinder 9.6-litre AEC diesel engines.
No. 22 It is expected to arrive in April and remain on the railway until the end of May. It is one of just three surviving; one (No. 4) is displayed at the STEAM museum in Swindon, and the other (No. 20) is on the Kent & East Sussex Railway, nearing the end of a long restoration.
Jack Boskett, Head of Marketing at the GWSR, said: “It may not be steam, but it certainly fits the period charm of the steam age. No. 22 was, for a time, based at Worcester when it may occasionally have worked over the Honeybourne-Cheltenham line on which the GWSR operates today. It certainly worked between Worcester and Stratford-upon-Avon so this is a kind of homecoming.”
These useful vehicles ran until the early 1960s, no. 22 being withdrawn in 1962. They were superseded by British Railways-designed railcars such as Class 122 No. W55003, which is based on the GWSR.
After storage at Swindon, no. 22 was bought by the Great Western Society in 1967 and initially ran on the Severn Valley Railway. In 1978, it moved to the Didcot Railway Centre, where it was fully restored. This is only the second heritage railway that the vehicle visited since it was restored at Didcot, the first having been the East Somerset Railway in March this year, from where it comes straight to the GWSR.
Added Jack Boskett: “No. 22 has a capacity of just 48 seats, plus a small number standing, which means that it will strictly be a first-come-first-served opportunity, for a small supplementary fare, to experience this rather special unit. We hope that we will be able to run it during the Cotswold Festival of Steam (23-25 May) too.”
The GWSR’s Vintage Weekend will reflect the ‘golden age’ of transport. Apart from GWR no. 22, the railway will run a full steam-hauled train service while around 100 vintage vehicles – buses, lorries, cars and motorcycles – will be displayed at Broadway and Toddington stations. At Gotherington, on the delightful privately-owned former station yard, there will be 1940s music, WW2 live demonstrations and vehicles. In addition, the locomotive depots at Toddington and Carriage and Wagon works will be open to visitors.
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Media contact: Ian Crowder, 07775 566 555 or [email protected]
Notes for Editors:
GWR railcars
The Great Western Railway introduced the first of what were to become very successful diesel-powered railcars, in 1933. The first ones, with a driving cab at each end, were intended to operate singly and weren’t capable of working in tandem. They had a very streamlined appearance and with their chocolate and cream livery, earned the nickname ‘flying banana’. Later versions had a ‘razor edge’ appearance (including No. 22, visiting the GWSR in 2026), were equipped with more powerful AEC diesel engines and could haul an extra coach or goods wagons. The first long-distance diesel express service in Britain ran between Birmingham and Cardiff over the route on which the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway operates today, covering the 117 ½ mile route in 2 hours 20 minutes. Thus they found their niche with high-speed lightly-used express services as well as working over rural routes across the Great Western network. The final vehicles produced in the series were two-car units permanently coupled, with a driving cab at one end of each of the vehicles, and were thus the forerunners of today’s diesel multiple-units.
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