Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway - Cotswold Festival of Steam - 24/05/2025

The bank holiday weekend of the 24th -26th of May saw the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway hold their annual Cotswold Festival of Steam, with no less than six guest locomotives in attendance, along with five of its resident fleet, bringing the operational fleet to eleven locos. During the event, the private station grounds of Gotherington Halt were opened to the public specially courtesy of the owners, with opportunities to ride the pump trolley in the yard. The event would also be the final gala appearance of resident Bulleid Merchant Navy class 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. before withdrawal later in the year for overhaul. The services of the event had four passenger carriage sets consisting of two five coach and two seven coach sets, plus a demonstration freight train running the full length of the line. There was also a small freight train shuttling in the station platforms and sidings at Winchcombe station by the two guest well tanks, Kerr Stuart no.3063 Willy the well tank & E Borrows no.48 The King. Locomotive roster: Resident locos: GWR 28xx 2807 GWR 2884 3850 GWR 68xx Grange class 6880 Bettonn Grange GWR Modified Hall 7903 Formarke Hall SR Merchant Navy 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. Guest engines: Kerr Stuart 0-4-0WT no.3063 Willy (courtesy of the Flour Mill) E Borrows 0-4-0WT no.48 The King (courtesy of the Ribble Steam Railway) Andrew Barclay Austerity 0-6-0ST no.15 Earl David (courtesy of Railway Support Services) GWR 57xx 7714 (courtesy of the Severn Valley Railway) BR Standard 4mt 75069 (courtesy of the Severn Valley Railway) SECR O1 no.65 (Courtesy of the Bluebell Railway) Hope you enjoy.