STARS STEP OUT FOR FIRST BROADWAY EXTENSION SHOW
King Edward II, Oliver Cromwell and American guest draw nearly 6,000 visitors to ‘GlosWarks’ gala.
‘ G ive my regards to Broadway’ was the theme – and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway put on a show for the first enthusiast gala involving its new station. A suitably star-studded cast for the May 26-28 ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’ included the first ‘King’ to work on the line, the first ‘Britannia’ on the route since 1965 and, in keeping with the American reference in the title, a transatlantic visitor in the form of ‘S160’ 2-8-0 No. 5197. BR blue No. 6023 King Edward II and Steam Railway appeal engine No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell were both making their GWSR debuts. The ‘Double Red’ route-restricted Collett 4-6-0s never ran over the line in GWR or BR service, but the ‘Brit’s’ appearance recreated the final days of steam on the route, when its last steam-hauled express services were worked by the class. The Riddles ‘Pacific’ was adorned with a ‘Red Dragon’ headboard in tribute to its Western Region-based classmates, and was also in steam the following week. On its footplate on May 29 was GWSR driver and former Cardiff Canton fireman Jeff Madge, who was presented with a silver-plated gauge glass spanner to mark his retirement. The USA Transportation Corps ‘S160’ also recalled the GWSR’s history, as the class worked over the Cheltenham-Stratford-uponAvon line during the Second World War. The GWSR only had to pay for the transport costs to bring in No. 5197, thanks to owner Greg Wilson waiving the hire and steaming fees – to make up for the non-appearance of his other ‘S160’, No. 6046, which was booked to visit for last year’s gala but failed. The fourth guest was ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6430 from the Llangollen Railway, joining the resident Swindon trio of ‘28XX’ No. 2807, ‘Manor’ No. 7820 Dinmore Manor and ‘Modified Hall’ No. 7903 Foremarke Hall, and Southern ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co. “It was a spectacle by any measure,” commented Public Relations Officer Ian Crowder. “Even the double-heading of the ‘Hall’ and ‘Manor’ is quite rare. “We thought it would be a case of ‘the ‘King’ crowns the GWSR’, but actually, the ‘Britannia’ seemed to be the real star with the crowds.” The crowd consisted of almost 6,000 visitors, the actual ticket sales being just 40 short of this figure, although Mr Crowder added that “including the complimentary tickets for stallholders, support crews and traction engine owners, it was over 6,000. “We sold over 1,000 advance tickets online and that paid for the locomotives’ transport costs – so the very first ticket through Toddington or Cheltenham booking office put us into profit!” The Saturday alone is believed to be a record day with nearly 2,200 passengers, and the event contributes to a May that has smashed all previous records with more than 40,000 passengers –
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A CASE OF ‘THE ‘KING’ CROWNS THE GWSR’, BUT ACTUALLY, THE ‘BRITANNIA’ SEEMED TO BE THE REAL STAR
IAN CROWDER
over 50% more than the same period last year. All the locomotives performed without a hitch until the last train on the Monday, when Dinmore Manor was detached from its double-header with the ‘King’ at Winchcombe, as a precaution against a lubrication problem. About the only thing missing was a goods train, save for token appearances by china clay wagon No. B743835 and LMS brake van No. M732463 – both making their debuts after restoration – behind No. 2807 at Winchcombe. Explained Mr Crowder: “We didn’t run a freight partly because we were concerned about getting enough crews – we had two other events in May, the ‘Bricks and Trains’ Lego weekend and ‘Steam & Real Ale’ – but also because a number of other wagons needed attention, which would have been pushing the resources of the Carriage & Wagon Department. “But it was probably just as well with the huge numbers of people, as the freight would have taken up a passenger train’s path.” He summed up: “How do we top this? Heaven knows – but we are thinking about next year already, and we will definitely have a freight then.” Broadway’s signalling and second platform are expected to be fully operational towards the end of this year, in good time for the next gala.