Well, RAIL 200 is now behind us and the weekend celebrations went well. Not all the diesel locos were involved, but those that were put on a show worthy of the gravity of the celebration. Due to the competition with other similar events across the UK customer numbers weren't quite where we had hoped but those in attendance were treated to a pretty decent spectacle. Luckily, for the most part, the weather stayed dry but overcast for those in attendance.
With D6948 already at the Severn Valley Railway, 20137, 26043, 37215 and 47376 'Freightliner 1995' were the runners on the Saturday with 20228 joining sister, 20137, in place of 26043 on the Sunday alongside our steam engines.
 |
| 26043 passes CMDG sister loco, 45149 during the RAIL 200 event. The Class 26 was continuing to build the mileage up after its overhaul. The 'Peak' was providing cab visits whilst it is out of traffic. (Courtesy of the CMDG Facebook Page). |
'Peak', 45149 was utilised for cab visits in the car park as the loco continues to receive repairs to an electrical problem as well as an air tank leak. Joining it in the yard was Class 04, 11230 which was being used to give a demonstration of how the vacuum brake systems work alongside the Queen Mary brake van. Also in the car park, were demonstrations from our P'way Team, Carriage and Wagon as well as a photo exhibition at Winchcombe showcasing the railway across it's 40 years of restoration.
In the Diesel Shed, Class 24, 24081 was on static display alongside 47105 which was laid up with a minor brake fault. The '26' joined them on the Sunday.
 |
| On display in the Diesel Shed on the Sunday of the RAIL200 event - 47105, 24081 and 26043 - giving a reminiscence of a late 1970s Eastfield. (Courtesy of CMDG Facebook Page) |
The weekend before saw an interesting 'Double Up Sunday' as Class 26, 26043, continued it's return from overhaul when it was paired up with Class 20, 20228 - itself on the journey back from a long restoration. Both locos were once based at Eastfield TMD in Glasgow and, a commonplace occurrence in Scotland was the pairing of Class 20s and Class 26s - in fact, it was commonplace that any Type 1 motive power could be paired with Type 2 motive power.
 |
| Class 26, 26043, leads Class 20, 20228 into Winchcombe during the 'Eastfield Duo' Double Up Sunday event on 21/09/26. (Courtesy of Jack Boskett) |
Since it's triumphant return at the Diesel Gala, 26043 has racked up some impressive mileage as it deputises for 45149. The McRat has taken D6948's space in the shed whilst the 'Green Machine' enjoys its holiday so that some small tasks can be completed that, due to time constraints, hadn't been completed fully before it's return to service at our Gala.
And talking about a return to service, our other Sulzer Type 2, 24081 has also returned to service after it's engine overhaul. After having it's roof replaced at the end of September and a successful start up being completed. the '24' joined 20137 for a spin on 07/10/25.
 |
| 24081 leads 20137 into Broadway on it's proving run after repairs to it's engine were completed successfully. The 'Rat' is now back in traffic. (Courtesy of Neil Whitehead) |
24081 joined at Toddington for the final round trip, completing it successfully. It means the Class 24 is now ready to return to traffic and will hopefully make a formal return at our Mixed Traffic event over the weekend of 25 and 26 October. More on that later.
47105 should also be returning to traffic after repairs were made to it's braking system. with the loco scheduled to operate the diesel turn on the PINK timetable on Sunday 12 October.
October is the final month that the railway operates it's normal timetabled service before the festive season begins with our Santa Specials and this October sees a diesel out every running day - it really is your last chance to sample our locos for 2025. It is also a 'BLUE' October with all locos rostered, bar 20137 which puts in an appearance at the Autumn Showcase and on PURPLE timetable on 28 Oct, wearing the BR Corporate blue livery. The rostered locos for the remainder of October are (Dates and TT's are below the loco picture):
 |
| 26043 - 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 19 Oct, 25 Oct. |
 |
| 37215 - 15 Oct, 16 Oct, 26 Oct, 29 Oct, 30 Oct |
 |
| 47105 - 12 Oct, 14 Oct, 21 Oct, 22 Oct, 23 Oct, 26 Oct. |
 |
| 24081 - 25 Oct, 26 Oct, 1 Nov, 2 Nov. |
 |
| 20228 - 25 Oct. |
 |
| 20137 - 25 Oct, 28 Oct. |
For those not familiar with our timetable colour codes, a Yellow (Gold in this instance) coloured date indicates a special event and, as alluded to earlier, the 25 and 26 October is our end-of-season Autumn Showcase. Details and ticket info can be found here - https://www.gwsr.com/events/autumn-showcase-2025
 |
| (Courtesy of Jack Boskett) |
The event sees the end of our RAIL200 celebrations and will, as usual, include 'behind the scenes' opportunities at Toddington MPD, Carriage and Wagon and on the footplate.
The Saturday will see the smaller locos in our fleet take centre stage with our Class 20s, 24 and 26 in operation throughout the day. The Sunday will see the larger locos of the fleet with 37215 and 47105 being joined by 24081.
November will then signify the start of our Winter Maintenance program for our fleet - albeit with a couple of workings between Christmas and the New Year on our annual Mince Pie Specials. As it stands, 45149 will see the ongoing electrical and air tank repairs continued with a hope that the 'Peak' is fully fit for the start of 2026. Elsewhere, 20228 will hopefully see its exhauster signed off to allow the 'Chopper' to work on its own as well as in a pair with sister, 20137. Both Class 37s have a list of small issues to rectify, mainly consisting of leaks and the replacement of worn out pipework. The Class 47s will also see tasks completed to ensure they remain fit for traffic for 2026.
November will also see a trial run of a new event and, although Steam-hauled initially, it could potentially lead to more trains being utilised and, possibly, more cooperation between the railway and the Racecourse - something that, in my opinion, is long overdue!
The railway will operate a special service to coincide with the Racecourse's Fireworks event on Sat 8 November. It is called 'Steam, Sparks and Spectacle'. Booking for the train is online only and details can be found here - https://www.gwsr.com/events/fireworks-by-train.
The cost will include your travel, entry fee to the event and a small donation to the charity that organises the event. So, if you want to beat the traffic, why not let the train take the strain!!
 |
| The classic BR Slogan from the 1980's. How many remember this and had the badge?! |
The railway has also released the initial dates for special events for 2026. Some new events have been added as well as the welcome return of a couple of older events - although reformatted. This is just the start!
Get 'em in the diary!!
D6948 at the Severn Valley Railway
 |
| D6948 waits for the 'RA' at Hampton Loade as the light fails on 2 Oct 2025. |
D6948 left on 24 Sept for our near friends at the Severn Valley Railway to take part in their '65 Years of Class 37' Gala which took place over the 2 - 5 Oct 2025. The loco was joined by 9 other Class 37s for four days of intensive running through the Worcestershire/Shropshire country side. Also in attendance were 37250, 37263, 37264, 37423, 37501, 37508, 37518, 37688 and 37901, although some of the mainline visitors would only run on certain days due to crewing necessities.
 |
| On arrival at Bewdley with the final service to Kidderminster on 3 Oct 2025. Coming through the forest section was an experience! Pitch black was an understatement! |
D6948 was used intensively throughout the weekend and drew a lot of praise from the SVR crews as well as those in attendance and, aside from a low pressure fuel leak, ran without problem for the whole 4 days.
It was spectacular event, as only the SVR pull off, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us that crewed the loco (myself, Paul Cronin, Kev Jarvis and Peter Smith). D6948 was certainly put through her paces on a line well known for some serious gradient profiles and probably worked harder than at any time since its mainline days! Overall the loco accrued 294 miles, at an average of 74.5 miles per day!
Also in attendance was the Growler Group's sales stand which broke all sales records, bringing in a solid amount of revenue to help keep both D6948 and 37215 running.
'The Green Machine' also took part in a night time photo shoot on the 6 Oct at Kidderminster TMD and Carriage Sidings. Our very own Jack Boskett was there to capture some cracking shots of 9 of the 10 attendees.
 | |
| L to R - D6948, 37264, 37263, 37688, 37901, 37508, 37250, 37518 and 37423. Almost in livery order from earliest to most recent. 37501 had to leave early to return to its mainline activities. (Courtesy of Jack Boskett) |
D6948 isn't finished there as it will also take part in a 'Members Day' (not just open to members) on Sat 11 October completing another near 100 miles of running before it returns to the GWR at the end of October. Normal SVR ticketing applies for this day, although GWR Work Permits will be accepted at the Ticket Office for a discount. The GG Sales Stand will also be present on the train with some new stock available.
 |
| With our work done for the event, I've parked up D6948 on Kidderminster TMD for it to slumber and rest its weary wheels after racking up over 290 faultless miles in four days. |
A timetable for Sat 11 Oct is below. First train is 0815 off of Kidderminster.
