West Somerset Railway – 30 Years of Galas
June 3, 2026
Midland 4F No. 43924
July 7, 2026
The Story of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
£14.95
The in-depth story of the beginnings and subsequent re-opening of the line between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway. We see
archive films of the line from the mid 1960s through to closure in the mid 1970s with a summary of the route
between Stratford Upon Avon and Cheltenham and all the stations and halts in between. We follow the
rebirth of the railway with its heritage base at Toddington beginning in the 1980s and later its arrival at Winchcombe and Cheltenham Race
Course Station in 2003. The latest section to be rebuilt was to Broadway where we see the grand re-opening day in 2018.
The programme takes a look at the rebuilding of each station along the line which were
demolished in the 1970s and resurrected by volunteers over a 20 to 40-year period.
Sequences of the construction of the new station buildings at Broadway and the very first trains to arrive at this current
terminus in the north. ‘Return to Broadway’ celebrations are seen with Nos. 35006 P&O Line and 7903 Foremark Hall.
Steam operations during all the recent gala events with visiting locomotives, such as ‘Schools’ Class Cheltenham, ‘King’
6023 King Edward II, ‘Britannia’ 70013 Oliver Cromwell and more recent galas with new-build 2999 Lady of Legend, 6880
Betton Grange, ‘Castle’ 4076 Pendennis Castle, a number of visiting small tank engines and many others.
The latest improvements at Winchcombe and new buildings on Platform 2 at Broadway feature as do the restorations
of engines such as 2874 and 76077. Altogether, a complete record of the run-down of the railway in BR times and
the triumphant re-opening of this volunteer-led preserved line in the glorious Cotswolds.
Revised 2026 edition
75 minutes duration
Related products
-
Railscene No. 43
£14.95Contents
Modern News: Diesel Gala at the Severn Valley Railway with Deltic No. 55015 (as 55001 St Paddy)
D1062, 31206, 37107, 50044, 50031 and D5410.
East Lancs Railway – Diesel gala included, D5054, D172, 31101, 40145, D832, 20188,
D8031 and 47117.
Cab Ride – Perth to Inverness through the stunning scenery of the Highlands.
Guildford Engines Weekend at the Bluebell Railway: A special line-up of steam locomotives
with some association with operating around Guildford. Engines included – ‘C’ Class No. 592, C1
(33001) and S15 847.
Great Central Railway 25th anniversary Jubilee: This feature starts with a triple-header out of
Loughborough with Nos. 5224, 7029 and Jubilee No. 5593, running as classmate 5552 Silver Jubliee.
Added to these engines were Nos. 45231 and 34039 from the home fleet.
Paignton & Dartmouth Railway: Feature with ‘Hall’ Class No. 4920 Dumbleton Hall between
Paignton and Kingswear.
Didcot – Oxford 150 Years: ‘Castle’ Class No. 5029 Nunney Castle operated five services between
Didcot and Oxford on the day to celebrate 150 years of the route. A special event at the GWS
Didcot Railway Centre witnessed BR Pacific No. 70000 Britannia on the demonstration line and
Bulleid MN No. 35005 Canadian Pacific.
D-Day 50th anniversary: Special commemorations were held at the beginning of June for the 50th
anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France. A special train was commissioned to take
veterans to Weymouth and along the quay tramway which was site of much activity in 1944.
Class 33 D6535 hauled the train tailed by Class 73 73109 which was named Force ‘O’ Weymouth for
the occasion at Weymouth Quay Station. The 73 then reverted to its original name Battle of Britain.
As part of the D-Day events, S15 No. 828 operated a series of shuttles between Southampton’s QE2
Terminal and Salisbury. We see views of 828 during its journey. Also present in the docks were
‘B4’ Dock tank No. 30096 and No. 777 Sir Lamiel.
Main Line Steam: ‘A2’ Pacific No. 60532 Blue Peter on the climb to Ais Gill summit, 6024 King
Edward Ist from Gloucester to Swansea, 5029 Nunney Castle from Didcot to Worcester and
70000 Britannia on the North Wales Coast.
Approximately 90 minutes duration -
257 Squadron at Eastleigh – jigsaw
£23.9534072 257 Squadron at Eastleigh
A 1000-piece jigsaw from a painting by Malcolm Root who specialises in heritage railway subjects. This jigsaw depicts Battle of Britain Class No. 34072 257 Squadron alongside the coaling stage at Eastleigh Depot in the mid 1960s. The locomotive is in operational service on the Swanage Railway following restoration from Barry scrapyard condition by Southern Locomotives Ltd.
£21.95 plus £2 postage for a small parcel.
-
Railway Round Up No. 17
£9.95Railway Round Up No. 17
This latest edition is packed with steam and some heritage diesel footage.
* First DMU services between Swanage and Wareham * Galas at Mid-Hants featuring Nos. 4079 Pendennis Castle, 5329, 53808 and 506 and launch of Peckett Kilmersdon * Winter gala at the Great Central featuring
Nos. 73082 and 506 as guest engines plus the railway’s fleet and overhaul
progress on No. 34039 Boscastle * main line steam over Shap and Settle-Carlisle featuring Nos. 34046, 34067, 35018, 44932, 45690 and 70000. Also Class 50s ‘Hoovers’ 50049 and 50007 double-heading over Shap and Deltic * SVR galas with No. 2999 Lady of Legend, 7714, 506, 43106, 34027, 75069 * update
on progress with conversion to original condition of MN No. 35011 at Swindon & Cricklade with boiler and components being lifted off * Last workings with No. 34092 City of Wells at the East Lancs Railway
* No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley on its first outing in BR blue livery – at the
Nene Valley Railway * Swanage Railway galas featuring 70000 and 76084 * West Somerset galas
with Lady of Legend, 34027, 7812 Erlestoke Manor and 9466 * Launch of No. 4110 at the East
Somerset Railway * Heritage diesel galas at the SVR and Swanage * Gloucester Warwickshire
Steam Railway hosting Pendennis Castle, 75014, 78018, L&Y Pug, 31806 plus main fleet of 7820,
35006 and 7903 * Clan Line’s last tours and much, much more.
Approximately 2 hours £9.95 on DVD and now available as a
download to your device for £8.95 -
The West Somerset Railway Autumn 2018 Steam Gala
£14.95A video record of the Autumn 2018 Steam Gala when guest locomotives, BR Standard Class 5 No. 73082 Camelot and ‘West Country Class’ Pacific No. 34046 […]
