A highlight of GWR175 will be a complete Great Western Railway goods train typical of the inter-war years and one of the few places in the UK where such a can today be witnessed. 

Other GWR rolling stock will be either in use or on display include a Shunter's Truck, an Inspection Saloon, Special Saloon, Dynanometer Car and Horsebox.

Freight vehicles

The first railway wagons were open trucks designed to carry minerals and, over the years, an extremely wide range of specialised vehicles was developed to meet an equally wide variety of transport needs.  The good train presented for GWR175 comprises an eclectic mix of around 20 vehicles built during the GWR's history from the late 19^th century to nationalisation, including:

Two Toads (brake vans)
Two Mica B (insulated meat wagons)
Macaw G and Macaw H (bogie bolster wagons)
One Mogo (covered wagon with end doors for conveying motor cars)
Mink A, Mink D and Mink G (covered general goods vans)
One late GWR plywood general goods van
One Fruit C (dating from 1900)
One box van built by the Southern Railway to an SR pattern for the GWR
Three open wagons (for minerals such as coal and other general goods)
One Tube C (long open wagon for carrying clean loads such as tubes, timber etc)
Two Starfish (drop-sided ballast wagons)
One gunpowder van (used to convey gunpowder used in quarrying and mining operations)
One Crocodile (well wagon, dating from 1875, with an appropriate load)

The names - for example 'Macaw', 'Toad', 'Mogo' etc were code names that were used in telegraphic messages to simplify understanding of what the vehicles were.  These names were developed in an era when many unskilled staff who handled the wagons had limited literacy - so names were given, rather than alpha-numeric codes, so staff knew what to expect.  However, many did have suffix letters (such as 'Mink D') to identify special variations or features on that vehicle.

GWR shunters truck no. 41790

This is a short, flat vehicle with running boards and hand rails along the full length on either side to allow shunting staff to ride on them.  They were typically attached to a locomotive while it went about its work in goods yards or station areas where there was a lot of coupling and uncoupling of wagons or coaches taking place.  They carried a distinctive toolbox and were vacuum braked, providing additional braking power for the locomotive when moving unfitted stock.  It is planned to use this vehicle in station pilot duties at Toddington during GWR175.

Passenger and specialist vehicles 

GWR Auto trailer no 178

Owned by Mike Little and Tim Hornby, this beautifully preserved example dates from 1930 and is typical of the type of vehicle used on Great Western Railway local train services.  Although typically associated with rural branch lines they were also used on some London commuter lines and main lines with stations that served rural communities. Particularly well-known examples include the 'Coffee Pot' over the Honeybourne Line between Cheltenham St. James and Honeybourne (via Winchcombe, Toddington, Broadway) and the famous 'Chalford Shuttle' between Gloucester and Chalford, on the Golden Valley line.  Auto trailers featured a driving compartment with a regulator and whistle mechanically connected to the locomotive, vacuum brake, warning gong and bell communication between the compartment and the locomotive footplate.  When propelling, the driver occupied the driving compartment while the fireman remained on the footplate where, as well as his firing duties, he operated the reverser and vacuum ejector as these controls couldn't be worked from the driving cab.  The operation was very successful and obviated the need for the locomotive to run-round its train at the end of the journey, ready for the return trip.  More than one trailer could be operated with a locomotive - up to two trailers connected together or more with the locomotive sandwiched between them - two in front, two behind. 

A number of auto-trailers were converted from early Steam Railmotors, which incorporated a small steam engine driving one of the bogies of a coach, these could also be driven from either end but were limited in their capability.  163 auto trailers were eventually specially built from 1928, the last being completed by British Railways in 1954.

During GWR175 no. 178 may be operated by either 1450, the 1400 class 0-4-2T designed especially for this kind of work or small Prairie no. 5542, which is also auto-fitted.

Click here for more information about 1400 class 0-4-2T no. 1450

GWR Horse Box No. 719

Also present and on display will be Andrew Goodman's newly-restored GWR Horse Box, which following a long restoration at Winchcombe has latterly appeared at STEAM, the Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon.  It is a reminder of the importance of equestrian traffic on the Great Western, including the carriage of race-horses to and from Cheltenham Racecourse.  This example was built in 1936 and was latterly in departmental use at Wolverton carriage works in Buckinghamshire.  When acquired it was in a very poor state with most fittings missing - however, a grounded horsebox body came to light in Carmarthenshire which still retained many of its fittings.  Original GWR drawings and photographs enabled the four-wheeled, steam heated and vacuum-braked vehicle to be rebuilt.  It was designed to carry up to three horses as well as offering comfortable grooms' accommodation.

GWR Hawksworth Dynamometer Car no. 150

The Great Western Railway is believed to have pioneered the adaptation of railway coaches and equipping them with instrumentation to measure a locomotive's performance.  The instruments measured speed, power output, movement of the vehicle relative to the track, braking force etc providing valuable data for locomotive, permanent way and rolling stock designers.  The instruments produced plots on continuously moving rolls of paper which could be studied subsequently by technicians relative to the position of the train at the time, taking into account gradients and curves.  The car ran between the locomotive and the train; sometimes on special test runs but also frequently within normal passenger and freight service trains.

This example was built in about 1942 and is believed to be the first coach designed and built by the Great Western Railway's last Chief Mechanical Engineer, F W Hawksworth.  No. 150 continued to be used by British Railways and ended its useful life at Derby.  It was owned for a short time by the Duke of Gloucester Trust who planned to use it in conjunction with their Standard class 8 pacific, no. 71000 Duke of Gloucester.

GWR First Class Saloon no. 9004

This is one of a number of special saloons in the 9000 series - which included the gWR's Royal coaches.  This example was built in 1930 for the use of celebrities, parliamentarians, the aristocracy and the generally well-off.  They were luxurious and self-contained, complete with comfortable fixed seating with tables for 14, along with an open saloon with comfortable unfixed easy-chairs.  A guards and staff compartment was included along with a small kitchen facility to enable light refreshments to be prepared; and a toilet.  The vehicle is equipped with corridor connections so access could be gained to the dining car, for example. There were windows either side of the connections so that an all-round paronamic view could be enjoyed if the coach was attached at the end of a train, which was usually the case.

The coach is owned by Nigel Dobbing of of the Railway Touring Company.  It is occasionally used on special main line trains and is currently kindly on loan to the Honeybourne Line for use with the Elegant Excursions dining set while one of the rake's normal vehicles is out for refurbishment.

GWR Hawksworth Inspection Saloon no. 80970

Inspection saloons are coaches that really do separate the management from the staff.  They are ostensibly designed to enable 'top brass' to review new works, freshly relaid track or the condition of the permanent way infrastructure.  This is one of six built and it was initially used by the Divisional Engineer at Newport, in South Wales.  Like most such coaches, it is equipped all round (including both ends) with picture windows.  The vehicle is separated into two comfortable compartments, one with a fixed centre drop-leaf table (on which to lay out drawings and other documents - or around which to enjoy lunch) surrounded by loose chairs.  Often these vehicles were propelled with this saloon to the front, and it is thus equipped with a vacuum brake, use of which would indicate to the driver that the vehicle was to slow down or stop.  The rear saloon is equipped with luxurious easy-chars and thick carpet.  Between the two are a guard's compartment with vacuum and hand brake, toilet compartment and facilities for catering.  Fold out steps facilitate exit and boarding of the coach from centre doors when stopped between stations.

No 80970 was completed at Swindon just before nationalisation so although delivered to Newport, it somehow ended up in Scotland before being withdrawn in the late 1970's and passed to the National Railway Museum.  The coach is now permanently resident on the Honeybourne Line.

During GWR175 (and indeed at any other time) it will be available for parties of up to 25 to enjoy an unusual and exclusive journey attached to a train on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.  For more information click here and put in the subject heading 'Hire of Inspection Saloon'