One millionth visitor at GWR

News – The one millionth visitor climbed aboard one of Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s steam trains last weekend, making their spring break in the Cotswolds one to truly remember.

Saturday 18 April 2009 proved a very special day out indeed for one set of visitors at Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway – as the Glaser family were told by GWR volunteers that one of them was the railway’s one millionth customer.

John and Amy Glaser, along with their sons Zachary (5) and Joshua (8), had arrived to buy their ticket for the 2.15pm steam train from Toddington to Cheltenham, and were thrilled to be told the news and presented with their great big golden train tickets.

‘This was such a surprise. We were planning to catch an earlier train but got delayed. Just think, if we hadn’t been late some other family would have become the celebrities’, said dad John.

The family live in Kew, West London, and were spending a weekend in the Cotswolds: ‘This is one of the most beautiful parts of Britain and the railway was high on our list of priorities to visit, especially as the boys are so excited about trains.’

As part of their VIP treatment, the Glasers received a life membership to the GWR, free first-class travel and a voucher for dinner on the railway’s celebrated restaurant on wheels, Elegant Excursions.

The GWR started operating over just 700 yards of track in April 1984 – almost exactly 25 years earlier. The line has grown since then to its present 10-mile run through the Cotswold countryside, and it’s still growing as the railway is half-way towards Broadway with its extension northwards from Toddington.

Malcolm Temple, volunteer commercial director of the GWR said: ‘This is a fantastic milestone for the railway. One million passengers over 25 years is an amazing achievement for an all-volunteer organisation.

‘We’re growing fast so hopefully, passenger number two million will be buying his or her ticket a lot sooner than the next 25 years!’

See Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, call (01242) 621405 or visit gwsr.com directly to find out more about hoping aboard for yourself.

SoGlos.com
21 April 2009