'Captain Tom' train to pass through Thames Valley on 100 stop tour
The GWR train will stop at 100 stations over 40 hour period to support charity campaign
Great Western Railway (GWR) will send the ‘Captain Tom Centennial’ on an epic journey as part of the Captain Tom 100 challenge.
Intercity Express Train 800025 – which bears the name Captain Sir Tom Moore – will make a mammoth 100 stops at stations across the GWR network in just over 40 hours, covering nearly 1,500 miles.
The ‘Captain Tom Centennial’ will start passenger service from London Paddington at 0637 on Friday 30 April, taking in routes to Penzance, Swansea, Hereford and Bristol Temple Meads over the following hours.
GWR's Dan Panes said:
“What makes calling at 100 stops in the ‘Captain Tom Centennial’ so unique is the geographical challenge. Normally our Class 800 trains wouldn’t travel down to the South West but we wanted to do our bit to ensure Captain Tom’s legacy lives on and reaches all parts of the GWR network.
“We were delighted to name a train in his honour last April following requests from both colleagues and customers. Now we’re hoping people will enjoy following the progress of the ‘Captain Tom Centennial’ and donate in the name of Captain Tom.”
On 6 April last year, Captain Tom set out round his garden to thank the nation’s NHS heroes. One hundred laps later, he’d raised £38.9 million for the NHS Covid-19 appeal.
His simple message of hope – ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ – inspired millions around the world and brought comfort and joy to many during the pandemic.
Captain Tom sadly passed away on 2 February this year. Friday 30 April would have been his 101st birthday and to honour him and his achievements, the Captain Tom Foundation is urging everyone, of all ages and abilities, to take part in the Captain Tom 100.
Captain Sir Tom’s daughter and Co-Founder of The Captain Tom Foundation, Hannah Ingram-Moore, said:
“My father would have simply loved the idea of the ‘Captain Tom Centennial’ train making an epic journey as part of this special event. He was very proud to leave behind the growing legacy of his Foundation and would have really enjoyed watching people across the country uniting to have fun and inspire hope with their Captain Tom 100 challenges. It’s going to be a very special few days.”
Find out how you can donate and get involved in the Captain Tom 100 here.
The ‘Captain Tom Centennial’ will call at stations along the following routes:
Friday 30 April
0637 Paddington to Penzance 18 stops completed
1215 Penzance to Paddington 34 stops completed
1818 Paddington to Swansea 44 stops completed
Saturday 1 May
0622 Swansea to Paddington 53 stops completed
0950 Paddington to Hereford 70 stops completed
1318 Hereford to Paddington 88 stops completed
1730 Paddington to Bristol TM 94 stops completed
2057 Bristol TM to Paddington 100 challenge over!