The Cotswold Festival of Steam ’Northern Soul’ event is shaping up to be another spectacular late May bank holiday weekend with up to eight engines in steam on the line between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway.

The event, which takes place from Saturday 25th to Monday 27th May, is being held by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR).

Ian Crowder, Press Officer for the GWSR said: “It’s going to be a packed three days with a very intensive train service.”

“The theme is ’Northern Soul’ which reflects two visiting engines from the north: one, a former London & North Eastern Railway ‘B1’ class which normally works on the North Yorkshire Moors railway and the other, a delightful and colourful blue tank engine that’s well over 100 years old.

“It was built in 1907 for the Caledonian Railway in Scotland and is now owned by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society. A third guest will be the Great Western Railway ‘King’ class no. 6023 ‘King Edward II’ which visited the GWSR last year and is back by popular demand.”

The Festival of Steam takes place at stations in Cheltenham, Broadway, Winchcombe and Toddington, and will give steam train enthusiasts the chance to get up close to some classics.

“There’s also an astonishing opportunity to ride the footplate of one of the railway's home fleet locomotives,” continued Ian, “with the driver and fireman over the whole 14-mile length of the line – Broadway to Cheltenham or the other way around.

“Once again there will be a range of attractions at Toddington – including a marquee with trade and preservation society stands.”

This year festival goers will also have a chance to see behind the scenes of all the work that goes into taking care of the decade’s old engines.

Ian said: “The railway’s extraordinary carriage and wagon restoration facility at Winchcombe will be open to the public.

“Here is an opportunity to see how the railway’s impressive fleet of coaches – most now around 60 years old – is restored and maintained in the Bill Ellesmere building, along with freight wagons as the railway builds up its fleet of historic goods rolling stock.

“Also at Winchcombe will be model railways that will appeal to every age! All in all this is going to be the GWSR’s usual busy, well-organised and efficient event.

“And bear in mind that everyone you meet here is a volunteer. The GWSR is almost entirely run by volunteers with just seven full-time staff, unique for large heritage railways.”

For more information on the Cotswold Festival of Steam, visit www.gwsr.com