Heritage Railway Issue 251

THE ‘Broadway Effect’– which saw passenger levels on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway soar by an astounding 42.5% following the opening of its northern extension to the fabled yellowstone tourist honeypot – has deservedly brought the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Awards (Large Groups) to the Cotswold line. Since Broadway station opened on Good Friday last year, both the line’s officials, tourist chiefs and local traders and shopkeepers – have been astonished by the public response and soaring influx of visitors into the town, which vastly exceeded all expectations. The trains carried more than 144,000 passengers – compared with 101,000 in 2018 – sending records tumbling in a domino effect. Not only was the impact brilliant for the heritage line, but phenomenal for the town’s economy, too. “...there is a veritable treasure…

REMARKABLE figures which showed that passenger numbers on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway rose by 42.5% in the wake of the Good Friday opening of the northern extension to Broadway have brought the coveted Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Large Groups) 2019 to the Cotswold Line. The figures rose from 101,000 in 2017 to more than 144,000 last year, making it the line’s best season, with booking office ticket sales rising by 49%. Commercial director Colin Fewell said:“This success is astonishing and it has exceeded all of our expectations – we thought we might see a 20% increase in passenger numbers this year. “Almost every aspect of the railway’s operation has seen significant growth – whether ordinary operating days or special events. “Opening Broadway station was a very special occasion and…

PROGRESS at the award-winning Broadway station has just taken a big leap forward... at least visually. Platform 2 at the station, which remains out of use to passengers this year, has not only been cleared of the signalling and communications equipment stored on the platform, but the basic structure for the footbridge has been installed. The steelwork for the steps – which, like the station canopy is of authentic all-riveted construction – has been installed following its completion at Toddington. The steelwork, designed and manufactured by the GW/R, has also been galvanised, which should prevent the kind of deterioration that affected the structure which originated from Henley-in-Arden – of which the span has been reused but the stringers for the steps and landings are brand new. The stringers were installed…

THE Great Central Railway has bought Class 50 No. 50017 Royal Oak from Boden Rail. The sale of the ‘Hoover’ – minus its main line running safety systems – was completed on February 1, finally ending fears it could be used as a spares’ donor locomotive for Boden Rail’s No. 50050 Fearless, or even scrapped for parts. As we closed for press, GCR officials were arranging transport for the ‘50’ to be brought by road from Boden Rail Engineering’s new Nottingham Eastcroft site to where it moved from Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. One of a class of 50 diesel locomotives designed to haul express passenger trains at 100 mph, the 50s were built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows between 1967/68. They were first used on express…

THE Great Central Railway’s winter steam gala has for many years built up an enviable reputation for being the‘first big event’of the heritage calendar. The sector traditionally follows the example set by nature and goes to sleep in the weeks following the festive season, giving a breathing space for locomotive, stock and infrastructure maintenance to be carried out. However, the sight of a fleet of locomotives in steam on a double-track heritage main line is guaranteed to blow away those winter blues. This year, the January 25-27 event saw nine engines in steam, the star guest being GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor from the Severn Valley Railway. In steam from the home fleet were ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45305, 8F No. 48624, BR Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No. 78018, WR…

RETIRED civil servant Simon Marsh has been appointed chairman of the Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR) , nearly 50 years after he started volunteering in the railway’s souvenir shop. The 61-year-old, who lives in Sandwich with his wife Sandra, a priest, has had an interest in railways since his earliest days. “I am told that as a baby I reacted to passing trains from my pushchair – I think it must be in the blood,” he said. He began volunteering in the railway’s shop at the age of 12, and in the ensuing five decades has helped to construct and maintain signalling installations, worked on the permanent way and on the railway’s Wealden Pullman dining train, undertaken vegetation clearance, and helped to maintain the 10½-mile line’s telegraph pole route.…