Real 20-20 vision 1: Class 20s in charge of the 16.15 Toddington-Cheltenham service on Thursday 25th June, passing the site of Hayles Abbey Halt. The leading locomotive is 20154, visiting for the summer Gala, with resident D8137 behind (photograph Jack Boskett)  


Real 20-20 vision 2: The same service departing from Winchcombe station (photograph Jack Boskett)  


Brush class 47/3, no. 47376 Freightliner 1995 at Toddington. It is resplendent in the 1995 ‘triple-grey’ Freightliner livery, carried as that company’s then flagship locomotive. The locomotive has latterly been undergoing cylinder liner replacement at Toddington and the Gala marks its reintroduction to service. In Features, there is an article about 47376 and the Type 4 or class 47 locomotives (photograph Jack Boskett)  

There's an extraordinary feast in store for anyone interested in diesel traction - both rail and road - over the weekend of 10^th-12^th July.  There is a huge amount going on in one if the railway's most ambitious diesel galas to date. The event sees no fewer than FOURTEEN locomotives (subject to availability) operating at one stage or another over three packed days.  And that's to say nothing of up to 50 diesel-powered buses at Toddington on Sunday!

Friday Shunterfest

Friday 10^th July sees the railway's first-ever 'Shunterfest'.  This sees diesel shunters promoted from their more prosaic and usually unseen function of shunting rolling stock around yards and sidings, to handling passenger trains.  The shunters operate between Toddington and Winchcombe, while a shuttle service using main-line locomotives operates between Cheltenham Racecourse and Winchcombe.

The shunter service between Toddington and Winchcombe uses two four-coach train sets using the following locomotives:

• Two ex British Railways Class 08 diesel-electric 0-6-0 shunters, nos. 08881 and 08927, the latter the last of the huge number of these versatile engines to be built.  Both are in BR green.*  This is the latter locomotive's first workings in preservation.
• Industrial class 04 which appears in ficticious early British Railways black livery with 'cycling lion' logo and carrying no. 11230.  This locomotive used to operate at Willington power station.
• Resident class 03, no D2182 also in green.

In addition:

• Class 02 no. D2860, on loan from the National Railway Museum, which will be providing power for brake van rides at Toddington between 10.00 and 17.00

*Note: as 08881 is air-braked only, class 37 no. 37215 will be included to provide vacuum braking for the rolling stock, but will not be powering the train.

Main line locomotives will run through to Cheltenham and Toddington and Cheltenham and a are two class 20s, resident D8137 (20137) and visiting 20154 and this combination handles the first train of the day, departing Toddington at 09.30 and running through to Chetenham,  The two locomotives will then operate 'top and tail' the shuttle to Winchcombe until 13.35 departure from Winchcombe when class 47 no. 47376 Freightliner 1995 and visiting class 33 no. 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR   take over the service.  The two double-head the final train, 17.50 from Cheltenham, through to Toddington.

This event marks a welcome return for 47376 which has been undergoing repairs at Toddington.

For the full working timetable, click here.

Prices for Friday's shunterfest and Saturday and Sunday's Diesel Gala rover tickets are Adult £14.  Senior £12.  Child £10.  Family £34.

Saturday and Sunday Diesel

Saturday and Sunday sees no fewer than ten diesel locomotives working an intensive service between Toddington and Cheltenham and local trains between Toddington and Winchcombe - representing the largest number of locomotives operating during a single event on the GWR!

Locomotives in service include

• Two class 20s, D8137, which is resident on the GWR, and visiting 20154. 
• Class 24 no. 24081
• Visiting Class 31 no. 31162
• Visiting Class 33 no. 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR
• The GWR's ever-popular class 37s, 37215 and 37324 Clydebridge
• Class 47s no. 47105 and 47376 Freightliner 1995 which has just returned to service after a year undergoing an engine overhaul. You can read more about this locomotive, and the class 47s in general by clicking here

In addition:

• Class 02 no. D2860, on loan from the National Railway Museum, which will be providing power for brake van rides at Toddington between 10.00 and 17.00

The working timetable provides the full roster for both days.  Different combinations of locomotive operate each day.  First departure on both days is 09.30 from Toddington and the last on Saturday only is 18.50 from Cheltenham, running non-stop to Toddington.  Stop press: train will be hauled by the two class 20s and will be 12 coaches in length - the first time that a public train of this length has been run. On Sunday, the last departure from Cheltenham will be at 17.20.

Sunday only - buses galore!

On Sunday, the car park at Toddington station with be chock-full of buses dating from the 1940s onwards, in the second of the GWR's bus rallies.  Last year was an outstanding success, helping to swell visitors to record numbers for the diesel gala.  See our separate news item for full information.  And, if you own a bus, it's still not too late to bring it along!

The event includes FREE classic bus services connecting the GWR with Cheltenham Spa and Evesham Network Rail stations. 

• Cheltenham Spa Network Rail station (departing 09.30 and 10.00) to Cheltenham Racecourse station, returning late afternoon (times to be confirmed);
• Evesham Network Rail station to Toddington. Routemaster bus will meet the train from Worcester (arrives Evesham 09.32) and then wait for the London and Oxford (arrives Evesham 10.17) before proceeding to the Bus Rally at Toddington.  The return service will depart Toddington for Evesham at 16.00.