7903 Modified Hall Foremarke Hall

A rather fine day began with a trip on the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway from Toddington to Cheltenham where the engine ran round and returned to Toddington and on to Broadway where another run around took us back to Toddington.

The GWR reopened the line from Toddington to Broadway this Easter 58 years after the line was closed.

The whole journey was superb, the volunteers chatty and friendly. Great views across the Vale of Evesham and of the Cotswold Escarpment.

The train was hauled by No 7903 Modified Hall Foremarke Hall, built in 1949 by British Railways to a Great Western Railway design. A proper, big loco, no disrespect to the locos we have on the KESR. Isn’t she a cracker? Beautifully turned out, gleaming paint and the copper capped chimney.

We had lunch at the cafe at Toddington before moving on to see the gardens at Hidcote Manor. Very impressive they were too. On any other day one of the shots from the garden would have made today’s blip.

We ate out at the Horse and Groom in the evening, cooking duties over for the week.