Once again, the GWR is hosting a range of exciting events aimed at all the family, as well as enthusiasts. Additional events may well be added during the year – so keep visiting this page. Additional details are published here as they are finalised but we will alert you on Latest News as new events are added or if there are changes to any event taking place. We aim to have full information available at least three weeks before each event.

Here’s what’s going on in a nutshell – click the links to find out more (or just scroll down the page).

March

Kids go free promotion

April

3rd and 26th Steam & Sweat guided walks with the Cotswold Wardens find out more here
4th-6th - Spring diesel gala
12th & 13th - Wildlife & Steam On Tour with David Shepherd
19th and 20th Paddington Bear visits the GWR for his 40th Birthday! Fun and Marmalade Sandwiches for all!
26th April Fish & Chip Special A FEW PLACES REMAINING Click here for information and to book

May

17th May Fish & Chip Special FULLY BOOKED
24th-26th - Cotswold Festival of Steam
31st and June 1st - Cotswold Festival of Steam

June

1st - Cotswold Festival of Steam
8th - Transport Nostalgia Day at Winchcombe
14th June Fish & Chip Special - SORRY, NOW SOLD OUT
26th Steam & Sweat – guided walk with the Cotswold Wardens – find out more here.

July

4th-6th - Diesel nostalgia on road and rail (diesel gala) and Bus Rally
13th - Transport Nostalgia Day
19th guided walk with the Cotswold Wardens – find out more here
19th July Fish & Chip Special - SORRY, NOW SOLD OUT

August

2nd August Fish & Chip Special - SORRY, NOW SOLD OUT
16th August Fish & Chip Special - SORRY, NOW SOLD OUT

September

6th - Fish & Chip special.- SORRY, NOW SOLD OUT
21st - Transport Nostalgia Day
27th and 28th - Paddington Bear visits the GWR.

October

11th & 12th - Steam & Vintage Rally, Cheltenham Racecourse
25th & 26th - Diesel gala - click here for more details.

November

1st - Fireworks Special

December
Up to Christmas - Santa Specials
27th - Christmas Diesel Day
29th & 30th - Christmas Cracker Steam Gala

Kids go free in March*!
After the fantastic start to our 2007 season when we first made this fantastic offer, we have decided once again each child bringing with them a fare-paying adult, can travel free throughout March. And, what’s more, that includes the four days of the Easter holiday which takes place 21st to 24th March this year – a really early one! Every child bringing their Mum, Dad, Gran, Granddad or another adult can enjoy a day out on your favourite railway for nothing!*  No need to book, just turn up on the day. Ticket valid for unlimited travel on day of issue.

*Offer runs from 1st to 30th March inclusive.  Strictly one child free per fare-paying adult or senior citizen.  So, one adult and one child, child travels free. One adult, two children, one child must pay child fare (click here for train fares). Child age 5-15 inclusive. Children up to the age of 4 travel free anyway.  For dates of running in March, click here.

Steam Galas
Intensive steam-hauled services, with all available locos in steam. Demonstration freight trains too!  Two Gala events are planned this year:

Cotswold Festival of Steam which runs over two weekends!  This will be a real feast for families and enthusiasts alike.  Dates are 24th, 25th and 26th May and 31st May and 1st June.  Includes visiting locomotives, which will run normal services 27th to 30th May.  The GWR is building a real reputation for putting on spectacular events and this one will be no exception.

Then in December, the Christmas Cracker – which was such a success in 2007, will take to the rails once again.  This will be on 29th and 30th December and every engine that can steam will be steamed!

Diesel Galas

The GWR has one of the finest fleets of heritage diesel locomotives in the country. There’s a growing following for diesels which are taking their place in the British railway history-books. When was the last time you saw a diesel locomotive pulling a passenger train on the national network? Today it’s HST’s, Voyagers, Multiple-units – the days of diesel-hauled passenger trains are over.  But not on the GWR – so you can enjoy a diesel-powered day with a difference!
This year, the GWR is expecting some visiting locomotives to enhance the home fleet.

Spring diesel gala Friday 4th to Sunday 6th April
Diesel nostalgia on road and rail Friday 4th to Sunday 6th July.  This event incorporates the GWR’s first bus rally for many years, on the Sunday only. Features include opportunities to ride on a range of vintage and classic buses. There will be bus links from Cheltenham Lansdown main line station to the GWR’s Race Course station; and from Evesham station and Broadway to the GWR’s Toddington station.  Timings will be arranged to meet main line services while there will be plenty of other opportunities to enjoy a ride on a classic bus.  Do you own a bus and would you like to bring it along? If so, click here to download an application form which you should post to Jim Clarke, the organiser, whose address is on the form. If you are interested in having a trade stall at the Transport Nostalgia Days and application can be downloaded here.

Autumn Diesel Gala Saturday and Sunday, 25th and 26th October
Christmas Diesel Day Saturday 27th December

Don’t forget that you can enjoy a diesel-hauled train on many service days, too. Every other train is diesel-hauled (running in conjunction with steam) on green timetable days while the last return service to Cheltenham from Toddington is diesel-hauled on blue timetable days.  You can check out what locomotives are rostered for these days by visiting our locomotive roster.

David Shepherd ‘Wildlife & Steam On Tour’: 12th and 13th April.

David hardly needs any introduction as the notable wildlife and steam locomotive artist, patron of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and owner of ‘Black Prince’, the huge and splendid British Railways freight locomotive now resident on the GWR. It’s amazing to think that David will have owned Black Prince for 40 years this year.  British Railways, which built it at Swindon in 1959, owned it for just eight. You can find out more about Wildlife & Steam On Tour here, and download an application form for the ‘Evening with David Shepherd on the Saturday. The form is the one used for last years event and will be updated in due course.

Transport Nostalgia Days now at Toddington station.

These are rather special occasions with a number of classic cars, buses, commercials, motor bikes and others gracing the yard of Toddington station. The dates are:

Sunday 8th June
Sunday 13th July and
Sunday 21st September.

Do you have a classic car you’d like to bring along? An application form can be downloaded here. If you are interested in having a trade stall at the Transport Nostalgia Days and application can be downloaded here.

Steam & Vintage Rally on October 11th and 12th. 

This event was restarted after a four-year absence last year and most enjoyable it was too There’s something special about seeing traction engines doing what they were designed to do (such as ploughing, sawing, driving fairground equipment); commercial vehicles, cars, buses, lorries, fire engines, tractors as so much more – as well as craft and trade stands, a model tent. Well, it has all the trappings of a fantastic day out! This year the event takes place at Cheltenham Race Course and on adjoining fields. The railway, of course, will be joining in the fun with an all-steam train service. A slightly revised version of our red timetable will operate on this day with an additional early departure from Toddington at 09:30.

For full details of this event click here.

Fireworks Special on Saturday 1st November.  November wouldn’t be November without an evening at the acclaimed Cheltenham Round Table Fireworks Fiesta at Cheltenham Racecourse. The GWR plays its part by running a special from Toddington. Not only is that rather an enjoyable way to arrive, but it avoids the traffic jams afterwards!

Santa Specials

These will be running every weekend in December up to Christmas, and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 22nd to 24th December as well. Father Christmas is visiting the railway in all his splendour and with sack-fulls of presents for our young visitors.  Visit our special Santa page here or download a booking form here.

Please note that this page contains details of all our 2008 events, including those that may have sold out or have already taken place. We leave them on this page so that if you’ve been unlucky enough to have missed an event, you know what you might expect to see happening during the following season. Please check the event dates carefully. Whilst GWSR plc will endeavour to run the services and events as advertised, the railway reserves the right to cancel, alter or suspend any train or event without notice and accepts no liability for any loss, inconvenience or delay thereby caused.

Click here for details of the ever popular fish and chip specials.