6960 Raveningham Hall, with the Royal lamp code, proudly stands at Winchcombe Station before conveying HRH The Princess Royal to the opening ceremony of Cheltenham Racecourse station on 12 April 2003. The locomotive was driven by GWR driver and inspector Colin Jacks: his last driving turn on his 70th birthday, before retiring. (photo by Anthony Thompson)

The components of Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR) long-term resident locomotive, Modified Hall class 4-6-0 no. 6960 Raveningham Hall, are moving to the West Somerset Railway Association's Williton workshops to be reassembled and returned to steam.

The locomotive was approaching the end of a long and extensive overhaul at Bill Parker's Flour Mill workshops in the Forest of Dean: you can catch up with recent progress on the locomotive in our Latest News story, Halls of Fame, on 24th November.  It was expected to be returned to the GWR's Toddington headquarters in time for its 25th anniversary Cotswold Festival of Steam at the end of May this year.  The freshly-completed tender had already been delivered to the railway.

Raveningham Hall is owned by Jeremy Hosking, owner of several steam locomotives. However, overhaul of his SR West Country class pacific no. 34046 Braunton has just been completed at the Williton workshops and the team that carried out that work will finish remaining work on no. 6960.

Peter Greenwood, Mr Hosking's representative, explains: "The work done by the Flour Mill is of the highest quality. But as the Williton team is now free after completing Braunton, it makes sense for them to finish the remaining work on no. 6960. The engine is then expected to spend the remainder of 2009 running-in on the West Somerset.

"However, we do recognise that the locomotive's spiritual home is at the GWR, especially as it hauled the Royal train conveying HRH The Princess Royal for the opening of the railway's extension to Cheltenham Racecourse in 2003.  We fully expect it to spend time on the Cotswold line in the future."

Ian Crowder, a spokesman for the GWR adds: "Naturally we are disappointed we won't be seeing no. 6960 (the oldest surviving and only Great Western-built Modified Hall built in 1944) and its youngest surviving sister, 1949-built no. 7903 Foremarke Hall working together on the GWR this year.  But we appreciate Mr. Hosking's position and we do look forward to seeing it performing on our line in due course."