Off to the races

After a slightly nail-biting winter due to the two most recent landslips, it was something of a relief to head into Toddington on 7 March to the sights and smells of steam being raised. Many a voice could be heard saying “it’s good to smell that again” as they walked through the gate into the yard whilst Dinmore Manor was prepped to haul the first passenger trains of the 2020 season.

Once 7820 had departed for the day, a motley crew set about getting 4270’s pistons reassembled in what had been preparation for her departure to the North Norfolk Railway, although this was then cancelled due to Covid-19. New piston rings have been manufactured and so the job at hand was to simply get the pistons into place, fit the new rings, apply some force to push the pistons back in and voila, job done!

7820 looking soggy at Broadway

If only things were so easy. Brute force and ignorance (and a multitude of screwdrivers) came second to getting the piston rings past the respective port lips and once the light faded in Toddington, the motley crew had to call it a day. Alas spies have failed to update me on any progress so I can provide no further information on its current status, however I’m sure some kind soul could provide a comment down below.

As always, our first running weekend acts as a run-in period before an incredibly busy week, also known as Cheltenham Race week. Through some trick of fate, all three members of ‘Team Blog’ managed to escape the day job and spend some time “playing trains” as it has become known in my office, so we're all doing pieces on our respective days. A link to Luke's write-up can be found below.

I was lucky enough to spend the morning of Ladies Day working on 35006, and the afternoon of Gold Cup Day wearing my other hat guarding Train 2. The morning of Ladies Day dawned bright and early (literally) but with a little bundle of nerves as this would be my first morning cleaning turn.

Ready for the first trains of the week (Ian Crowder)

The problem with joining the department during winter maintenance is you don’t get a chance to get stuck into cleaning until the season starts, and even then there’s potentially only a limited number of opportunities before you’re rostered, so it felt a bit like jumping in at the deep end. I didn’t need to worry; like with everybody else I’ve worked with, Paul (fireman) and Jamie (driver) were brilliant and fully took me under their wing. I finished the day dirty, aching, tired and with a massive grin on my face that didn’t come off for many many hours (days) afterwards.

35006 pulls away framed by 7903 and 7820

Gold Cup day is a beast logistics wise. The introduction of the non-stop train to Broadway last year proved a big success and was being run again this year, this time as the last train of the day. Fitting three full length trains into Cheltenham Racecourse station is…. well we only have two platforms, so you can see why logistically it is a challenge.

Having been hauled down to the racecourse behind 7903, fired by a familiar face, the challenge then began. Ever since I’d looked at the working timetable and realised I’d been rostered to guard the train with the two major shunting manoeuvres of the day, my stress levels have been slightly higher than normal.

Simmering away

To summarise, pull into Cheltenham platform 1 with 7903 on the front. Attach 7820 onto the back, shunt release 7903, run a train full of happy race goers back up to Toddington, unload them all and then shunt back into the North Siding so that Train 3 can continue its non-stop up to Broadway. Confused yet? The “Racecourse Shuffle” on the GWSR Facebook Page documented the whole experience, so head over there and check it out.

Definitely the best way to beat the traffic

Luckily, despite the best attempts of the points at Winchcombe, the evening ran like clockwork. I did spot some of the crews taking advantage of the engines being sat right next to one of the burger vans down at Cheltenham, however I decided that as I needed a lift back from the North Siding later that evening, my camera was best placed to stay in my pocket.

Speaking of sources earlier, a quick reminder to our loyal readers that content can be submitted to gwsrsteamblog@gmail.com. We can’t feature your hard work if we don’t know about it! With the railway being closed for the foreseeable future (and everyone being stuck at home anyway), please bear with us as we work through this period of time.

Don't forget, the GWSR is currently holding an emergency appeal to fund the repair of the landslip at Gotherington. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far and we look forward to welcoming you (if you aren't a volunteer already) once we re-open.

Bryony