Cotswold Festival of Steam

Last weekend was the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway's Gala weekend called the Cotswold Festival of Steam - rather grandiose title since their were not the traction engines or other steam driven machines that sometimes can be seen at these gala events.  But there were plenty of engines, and unusual ones for the GWR.  I started taking photos at the Cheltenham Racecourse station where I saw the Green Arrow, a 2-6-2 tender engine from the LNER, which never travelled on these rails before - a smaller version of the big Gresley pacifics, but with the same look and in the same apple green.  Waiting in platform 2 was a Southern Railway loco, Wadebridge which took the train back to Toddington while Green Arrow watered at the temporary watering point.  There was also a Great Western saddle tank  giving brake van rides up and down the platform.

I then went to Toddington, the base for the GWR, where there was the huge P & O in the car park along with a pannier  tank.  In steam and waiting for action was a lovely old engine from the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.  I also saw Wadebridge pulling a goods train and Green Arrow watering, with a prairie tank pulling the GWR autocoach to Toddington and back.