Gold Cup charter at Shrub Hill Friday 15 March 2019.
Posted: 11:36 Saturday 16th March 2019
Cheltenham Festival 'Gold Cup' day generates a lot of extra business for GWR in the Worcester area, a number of additional service trains ran between Bristol Temple Meads and Worcester Foregate Street comprising 9 coach IETs. Sadly the scheduled trains between Great Malvern, Worcester, Bristol and further South (Westbury, Brighton or Weymouth) ran with two or three car DMUs which were inundated with standing passengers, meaning that Ashchurch patrons had no chance of travelling South for many hours!
The West Coast Northern Belle train ran from Paddington to Evesham where I assume a fleet of coaches took the well-heeled passengers (reportedly £590 each for the privilege) to Broadway for a steam hauled journey on the Gloucester and Warwick Railway to their terminus at Cheltenham Racecourse. The train of Pullman style dining coaches in chocolate and cream was 'top and tailed' by Class 57 locomotives in West Coast maroon livery and ran to Worcester for stabling on the depot until required for the return trip in the evening.
57313 was built as Brush Class 4 D1890 in 07/65, renumbered 47371 in 12/73 and reclassified 57313 in 10/04 after extensive re-engineering with refurbished American Electro Motive 2,750 BHP V12 two-stroke diesel engine, reconditioned Class 56 traction motors and main alternator.
Sister 57314 was built as Brush type 4 D1891 in 08/65, renumbered 47372 in 12/73 and reclassified 57314 in 10/04 after rebuilding to same standard as 57313. Both locomotive operated as Virgin 'Thunderbird' WCML rescue engines until acquired by West Coast for Charter work. 158950 a three car DMU is seen approaching Platform 1A at 11-10 a.m. with the Great Malvern to Brighton train about to pick up a a crowd of Cheltenham racegoers, and then leaving a few minutes later; 165107 a three car DMU is seen departing Platform 2A at 11-27 a.m. with the Great Malvern to Paddington train via North Cotswold line. This shot taken at Bredicot through the windscreen of my car shows 66108 at 12-33 p.m. working a Burton-on-Trent to Cardiff Tidal train of graffiti covered vans.
The West Coast Northern Belle train ran from Paddington to Evesham where I assume a fleet of coaches took the well-heeled passengers (reportedly £590 each for the privilege) to Broadway for a steam hauled journey on the Gloucester and Warwick Railway to their terminus at Cheltenham Racecourse. The train of Pullman style dining coaches in chocolate and cream was 'top and tailed' by Class 57 locomotives in West Coast maroon livery and ran to Worcester for stabling on the depot until required for the return trip in the evening.
57313 was built as Brush Class 4 D1890 in 07/65, renumbered 47371 in 12/73 and reclassified 57313 in 10/04 after extensive re-engineering with refurbished American Electro Motive 2,750 BHP V12 two-stroke diesel engine, reconditioned Class 56 traction motors and main alternator.
Sister 57314 was built as Brush type 4 D1891 in 08/65, renumbered 47372 in 12/73 and reclassified 57314 in 10/04 after rebuilding to same standard as 57313. Both locomotive operated as Virgin 'Thunderbird' WCML rescue engines until acquired by West Coast for Charter work. 158950 a three car DMU is seen approaching Platform 1A at 11-10 a.m. with the Great Malvern to Brighton train about to pick up a a crowd of Cheltenham racegoers, and then leaving a few minutes later; 165107 a three car DMU is seen departing Platform 2A at 11-27 a.m. with the Great Malvern to Paddington train via North Cotswold line. This shot taken at Bredicot through the windscreen of my car shows 66108 at 12-33 p.m. working a Burton-on-Trent to Cardiff Tidal train of graffiti covered vans.