In conjunction with the Deltic Preservation Society (DPS), the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR) ran a very special event on Friday 19th August 2022, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Deltic Preservation, and what a day it was, as you can see from the photographs. On the 20th of August 1982, the DPS took ownership of class 55 Deltics nos. 55009 'Alycidon' and 55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier' from British Rail and have been running them on the network and preserved lines ever since. Two train sets operated on this sunny August 2022 special day with no.55009 on one and no.55019 on the other, crossing at Winchcombe. An additional Double Headed Deltic evening train departed Toddington at 18:00 for Cheltenham and returned via Broadway, bringing the day to a roaring Napier climax! My friends and I finished the day off by leaving the Double Headed train on the return journey at Toddington, so we could photo/video lineside the return working from Broadway, if you thought the trains and platforms were full of people, even the bridges and lineside fields were busy with eager photographers and videographers capturing the ultimate images and sounds in the form of a 'Fields of the Napier's soundtrack. The event was a unique one-off opportunity to sample the DPS's two magnificent locomotives operating together on the GWR and it will almost certainly not happen again for some time given the escalating costs involved in staging such events. The DPS and GWR volunteers worked extremely hard to provide a perfect day with all refreshments/buffet cars and a BBQ at Cheltenham Racecourse station to look after the punters. What an awesome day out!
Copyright of all pictures in this gallery belong to R Kelsey.