Gotherington slip repairs - Week 1

During February 2026 GWSR suffered another land slip on the Malvern side of the embankment between Gotherington and Bishop’s Cleeve. This is unfortunately the 3rd slip in a short section of the line. A length approximately 20m long failed in a combined translational/rotational movement. 

GWSR then engaged with the Geotechnical Consultancy, Tony Gee, to run analysis in order to support the Railway in implementing a risk management procedure for railway operations. Part of this process was to instigate a 5mph speed restriction in the area of the slip. Thankfully this has enabled the the railway to run passenger trains to Cheltenham Racecourse in the short term before the embankment could be remediated.

Subsequently Tony Gee were able to provide the Railway with a repair design which we are trying to complete before the Steam Gala at the end of May. The Steam Gala has services planned along the full line from Cheltenham Racecourse to Broadway. If the slip is not repaired then a revised timetable for the gala would be needed. This has potential to lead to significant disruption & to loss of revenue.

Last week the chosen contractor, RJ Clarke, started on site. 

The first activity is the removal of the failed material (in both section and plan extents). This will continue on this week (further benching) prior to construction of a granular re-grade with a shallower slope angle to reinstate the crest line of the embankment.

The failed material is being spread at the toe of the embankment to provide extra stability as a toe weight and to also provide material for the granular material to key into.

Passenger services have now stopped mid-week to enable the contractor the best chance of completing the works in the tight timeframe. The railway is working hard to maintain as much of the advertised service as possible while ensuring the safety of our passengers, volunteers, and infrastructure. I will continue to provide updates as work progresses. 

The railway is grateful to the supporting Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust  which is funding the repair costs. Donations to the Trust’s general funds can be made here: www.gwrt.org.uk/donate/how-to-donate 

Thanks,

Sarah Clayton

(Infrastructure Manager)

New french drains at the Aqueduct

Happy new year!

For those not so familiar with the railway we have an Aqueduct, also known as Bridge 09, at Stanton. It is a 3-span aqueduct with a footpath running over full length of structure. The structure consists of a steel box girder supported on brick piers and concrete abutments with metal handrailing and GRP deck for foot traffic. The watercourse runs from Downside to Upside (right to left in below picture).

The Downside embankment has been, for the last few years, very wet and there have been a variety of minors works done to try and ensure that the water flows over the structure. You can also see from the above photo monitoring posts have also installed due to fears of ground movement.

After having reviewed the problem with our HoD Lineside Drainage, Andrew Laycock, and a contractor Tom Clarke from RJ Clarke we decided to try a different approach and improve the drainage in the slope.

These works were completed in December 2025 so hopefully they will help with the wet season ahead.

Thanks, Sarah

Structure Examinations - Part 2

Following on from Part 1 in August, Inspire Structures Ltd returned to the Railway last week to complete their examinations for this year. 

The remaining exams are Detailed Exams on three bridges, Numbers 40, 41 & 42, and Greet Tunnel Bore. These are carried out during the closed season in November as we will require an Engineering Possession to enable access to the bridge decks and the tunnel bore. 

 

The Visual Exams on Stanway Viaduct, Hunting Butts Tunnel and the Portals of Greet Tunnel were also completed 

 

Bridge 42: The photos show ladders and a tower scaffold in use to access the soffit of the bridge to examine the girders and record all the defects. Due to the position of the track at this location a road-based MEWP would not be able to get to the bridge. 

 

The examiners will carry out the exam within touching distance of all the parts of the bridge and produce a report detailing the condition of the bridge with recommendations for repairs. The report will compare any defects to those noted in the previous exam report, so that deterioration can be monitored. 

Greet Tunnel: The RRV gained access at Winchcombe yard and travelled up to the tunnel. The tunnel is marked out with markers at 1 chain (22 yard) intervals. As with the bridges, a report is produced charting all the areas of the tunnel bore with areas of open joints, hollow brickwork, and wetness all mapped out using the markers as reference points. Again, recommendations are given for repairs.

 

The reports will be sent into the Railway for checking and acceptance.  

 

The Infrastructure Manager and the Civil Engineer will then use these reports, and those carried out by own engineers, to decide a programme of future works to be carried out on our structures. 

 

John Fancote, Structures Examination Works Leader 

 

Bridge 28 Stanley Pontlarge - lattice parapet repair works - update

If you have been in the Loco Shed recently you will have noticed the lattice parapets being repaired by a large team. Progress has focused on one side in order to ensure quality & manage workloads.

First the needle gunning was undertaken.

 

Then where the joints were packed out with rust they were disassembled, repaired & painted then re-riveted.

 

Half of the above rivets are new and half original - I can't tell the difference!

Thanks to everyone for their hard work.

Regards, Sarah 

Structure Examinations - Part 1

As part of the annual programme of Structure Examinations we have carried out several Detailed Examinations during the past week. These are done every six years for all our structures, except for Greet and Hunting Butts Tunnel Bores, which are examined every four years.

These examinations are carried out to Network Rail Standards by contractors whose staff carry the appropriate competencies. This ensures that our exams, and the recommendations arising, are carried out in accordance with ORR Regulations. This year, our contractor is Inspire Structures Ltd, who have been carrying out our examinations for the past few years.

This last week they have been onsite examining Culverts 3B, 4A, 5C, 6B, 44A & 45A and Bridge 42A (a large culvert classed as a bridge).

Some of our culverts are big enough for a person to enter with appropriate safety precautions, as they are classed as Confined Spaces.

However, some are too small, and a CCTV rig is used instead.

 

Our own engineers, John Sreeves and Peter Brown, have also been out doing Visual Exams on the bridges between Toddington and Winchcombe, as part of the annual programme.

Andrew Laycock and the Lineside Drainage Team also carry out the Visual Exams on the culverts and pipes under the railway.

The remainder of the contract exams for this year, comprising Detailed Exams on two overbridges, an underbridge and Greet Tunnel Bore will be carried out during the closed season in November as we will require an Engineering Possession to enable access to the bridge decks and the tunnel bore. Inspire also carry Visual Exams on Stanway Viaduct and Hunting Butts Tunnel.

Part 2 of this blog will follow later in the year.

 

John Fancote, Structures Examination Works Leader

Bridge 28 Stanley Pontlarge - lattice parapet repair works

  

This bridge crosses a cul-de-sac, leading to about six properties beyond the Downside / Cotswold of the bridge. There is no other form of access which has led to bridge repairs sitting within the "too difficult" pile for a while. 

          

The Cotswold side parapet of this bridge is in worse condition that that Malvern including damage to the pilaster, as shown above. It was decided that the non-deck works could be undertaken by multi-discipline / multi-skilled volunteer workforce.

The first stage was to Drill out / remove the rivets where existing vertical members attach parapets to the main girder. Then to provide temporary replacement with bolts. This was undertaken during a possession in July.

  

The second stage was to remove the capping stones & then to replace the existing parapets with temporary ones. This was completed today, using the Road Rail Vehicle & again under a possession.

    

It was a very successful morning despite the storm threat. All the preparatory work that Ian & Neal undertook paid off handsomely. Thanks to all involved.

The third stage will be another blog post in a couple of months time!

CRC - Pine tree removal

I know the pine trees at the station locations on the line cause many a volunteer annoyance / concern. Yet the historic Scots pine trees we own were originally planted by Great Western Railway to mark station locations. As such the trees are all covered by Tree Preservation Orders and there is a regime of annual inspections. As a result of these inspections a certain number of trees need to be felled every year; many are now 100+ years old and some reaching end of their life. In order to do this we have to apply to the relevant Council for permission.

With no trains running & a possession in place it was a busy day on site with the removal of 7 trees.