Glimpse at Gloucester

By G'day Sam 5 years ago

Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway UK

There can be nothing more frustrating than being on a completely ‘steam unrelated’ journey, and by chance, Google tells you there’s a steam railway that you ‘might’ be able to see – IF – you get the timing right…

With three minutes to spare our hire car pulled in to Winchcombe station. The train had already arrived in the platform so I rushed down to the loco end of the train only to find the platform wasn’t long enough, or the bridge was too close…

Great Western 2800 class 2-8-0 No.2807 waiting for the ‘all clear’ to continue on the journey to Cheltenham Racecourse.
There is quite a nice grade from the station to a tunnel half a kilometre away.
A quick look in the other direction – crossing a short diesel hauled train.
I just made it to the other side of the road bridge to get this beautiful loco lifting her train up the grade. What a fantastic bark she had!
And into the tunnel she goes…
Just how good is this station. This was initiation to British Restoration Railways, and I have to say, they take it ever so seriously. Just so good…
It was now later in the afternoon, and I managed to organise a 45 minute coffee in the reasonably quiet Winchcombe (an hour earlier there were scores of tourists). Once again with little time to spare, we went a quick kilometre out of the town to take a shot of the train on the return journey – BUT…
A complete novice to the world of English hedges and farms and bushes and… We found one tiny gap at a farmer’s gate to get these few shots. Once again the bark of the 2-8-0 was superb, but I’m going to need some inside help before I get the magnificent kinds of pictures you see in the British magazines – and their websites (see below).

It was all over in just over an hour, but I’m converted – I’m now trying to work out a way to spend at least six months in UK!

https://www.gwsr.com/

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