GWSR volunteers recognised for "remarkable" contribution over 40 years
The steam railway celebrated its 40th anniversary yesterday
Volunteers at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) have been recognised for their contribution over the last four decades.
A special ceremony at Winchcombe Station took place yesterday to mark the 40th Anniversary of the creation of GWSR.
Over the years the volunteers have rebuilt the 15-mile trainline from Cheltenham to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Their determination and vision have helped lay the foundations of the present day railway
During the ceremony they received special awards presented by Colonel Mike Bennett OBE DL, a non-executive director of GWSR Plc.
Col. Bennett also opened 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.
Col. Bennet Said: "They really built it up from the ground. The track had been removed the stations had been left to rot and they took over a bare site.
"There's the comradery of working together but you also have that feeling that you've built something, and not just a building, but a live railway line which carries thousands of people.
"The railway is also important for education too because we're now others unlike the age bracket of the volunteers have never have seen an active steam train, so not only are we educating the older generation, the parents, but also their children as well."
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."