A visit by two preserved British Rail Class 50 diesel locomotives, which were regular performers on Cotswold Line express trains during the 1980s, provided an added bonus for those attending the CLPG’s 40th Anniversary Party in Evesham on Saturday, September 8.
Locos 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance, which are operated by the Class 50 Alliance, ran from Oxford to Worcester during the early evening while working the return leg of the Pathfinder Tours’ Wessex Wanderer charter train from East Midlands Parkway station to Weymonth.
This was the first visit to the line by Class 50s since 1999, when a Reading to York charter train used the route.
A number of special steam and diesel-hauled charter trains run on the Cotswold Line every year.
Click here to keep up to date with when steam excursions are planned to operate.
The next scheduled train is on Saturday, October 27, when LNER Class B1 4-6-0 Mayflower is due to haul a train from the Bluebell Railway in Sussex to Oxford and Worcester. It is possible to book tickets on this train for a return steam-powered journey between Oxford (departing at 12.30pm) and Worcester Shrub Hill – visit the Steam Dreams website for more details and fares.
Click here to keep up to date with other charter trains.
Picture: Steve Widdowson