GWSR celebrates 40 years and recognises restoration pioneers

Special awards will be given to 13 volunteers

Published 20th Jul 2021

A special ceremony at Winchcombe, Gloucestershire station on Tuesday 20th July will mark the 40th Anniversary of the creation of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR).

It will recognise the extraordinary effort of thousands of volunteers who, over the years, have created the beautiful heritage railway that today operates between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway.

Some of the original volunteers, whose vision and determination 40 years ago laid the foundations of the present-day railway, will receive special awards presented by Colonel Mike Bennett OBE DL, a non-executive director of GWSR Plc.

Col. Bennett will also formally open an exhibition in the Tim Mitchell Building at Winchcombe station.

The display has been put together by volunteers from each of the railway’s many departments, to mark the progress made over the past four decades and it remains open on every operating day until 5th September.

Where it all started

1981 was a momentous year when the first steps were taken in rebuilding ‘as much as possible of the former Great Western Railway line between Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham’.

Often referred to as the ‘Honeybourne Line’, the formative Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Plc was established.

It was successor to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Society which had early that year, taken occupation of a bleak and derelict Toddington station yard.

The volunteer-run organisation then faced the enormous task of reinstating a railway line that had been dismantled by British Railways only months before.

On 28 July 1981, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Plc (GWSR) was formed in order to purchase, rebuild and operate the railway.

Its first share issue was launched on 20th August that year, raising over £73,000 within the statutory 40 days which enabled a large quantity of track and other materials to be purchased.

The first Chairman of the company was Tim Bazeley, who is still a volunteer on the railway today. said: “Now we are operating over the full length of the route we purchased in those early days.

"I feel incredible pride that all of this has been achieved by volunteers – not just the rebuilding of the line but the restoration of locomotives and rolling stock.

"It’s an astonishing success story and today, we have nearly 1,000 active volunteers and only a small full-time staff."

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