It is hard to believe that we are already in month 4 of 2025 but that means the mainline diesels now come out to play as the running season gets going.
D6948 made the early bow on Friday 4th April for the first Driver Experience of the year. As per routine, the day was fully booked only a few days after being advertised and, being blessed with a stunning day weather-wise, the attendees and their invited guests all left with broad smiles having enjoyed a fantastic, if long, day. One chap, although slightly embarrassed, had to admit that thundering through Greet Tunnel at full power during his driving turn brought a tear to the eye!! It didn’t nearly go to plan, though, as when started up on shed, a fault light lit up showing low oil pressure. Having done the rounds, checked pressures and levels, no reason could be found for a low pressure. With the loco taking power, the fault light disappeared after a few minutes and so it was deemed good to go. Potentially a sticking relay somewhere for us to hunt out and rectify!
D6948 was also out for the first PURPLE TT day on Saturday 5th April and will also be the motive power throughout April. The dates and timetables are in the ‘Roster‘ section of the website. The May roster has also been added which will see 37215 make it’s 2025 bow, starting on Monday 5th May with a trip on the PURPLE TT.
As usual, our sales team will also be attending the ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’ over the 24 – 26 May, with D6948 acting as stand-by loco on Saturday 24th May.
AGM 2025 – New Date
By now, all members should have received the confirmation of the new date for the Groups’ Annual General Meeting via post (it has also been included on Social Media and on here). It will now take place on Saturday 26th April 2025 at 11am in the Tim Mitchell Building at Winchcombe station. Parking is limited at Winchcombe station so you may wish to park at Toddington and catch the 1000 departure. As members, the AGM is your chance to have your say on how the group is run and to keep abreast of latest developments that ensure the safeguarding of our locomotives. With that in mind, we hope to see a fair few of you on the 26th and, if you are attending, don’t forget your membership card! If you are unable to attend, we hope to see you at one of our running days during the year.
