THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND WARWICKSHIRE RAILWAY - MICHAEL RANIERI - HALSGROVE

The Gloucestershire andWarwickshire
Railway lies on the edge of the Cotswolds in
the county of Gloucestershire, and its ten mile
line runs through some glorious scenery with
views across theVale of Evesham and to the
Malverns.The Railway from the early-1980s
has gradually expanded from the village of
Toddington to the current terminus at
Cheltenham Race Course. Plans are in action
to reach the tourist town of Broadway in the
near future, which will be a train ride of
fifteen miles.
The completely volunteer workforce have
rebuilt the original GreatWestern main line
from derelict condition to its current awardwinning
state; each year it carries over 70,000
passengers and is a major tourist
attraction in Gloucestershire.The scenery is
typical Cotswolds, rolling hills, woods, fields,
ancient and attractive hamlets and villages,
restored GreatWestern stations, not forgetting
the second longest tunnel in preservation,
culminating in the unusual Cheltenham
Race Course Station on the outskirts of
Cheltenham Spa.
Malcolm Ranieri has been a volunteer on the
railway for over fifteen years and for the last
two decades has photographed it in all its
moods and in all seasons, glorying especially
in the delightful Cotswold scenery through
which it runs.