{"id":53135,"date":"2024-05-25T17:37:59","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T07:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=53135"},"modified":"2024-05-25T17:37:59","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T07:37:59","slug":"betton-grange-makes-its-passenger-service-debut-this-weekend-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=53135","title":{"rendered":"Betton Grange makes its passenger service debut this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newly-built steam locomotive No. 6880 Betton Grange will be used for passenger services for the first time this weekend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credit: Mile Lanning\/Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway<\/em><\/p>\n

Steam enthusiasts attending the Cotswold Festival of Steam will be among the first to experience the new locomotive.<\/p>\n

It will feature at the festival alongside No. 2999 Lady of Legend, and No. 9351.<\/p>\n

Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) said it will be the first time that three steam locomotives built in the 21st century will appear together in the UK.<\/p>\n

Betton Grange was constructed using parts from other scrapped locomotives and was completed at Tyseley works in Birmingham last month.<\/p>\n

The project, which cost an estimated \u00a31.3 million, was led by the Betton Grange Society, formed in 1998 with the sole intention of building an 81st Grange.<\/p>\n

Eighty of the Grange class of locomotives were initially made before production stopped in 1939 due to the outbreak of the Second World War.<\/p>\n

Tom Willson, chairman of the Cotswold Festival of Steam organising committee, said: \u201cWho would have thought at the end of steam in the 1960s that preservationists would start building new locomotives?<\/p>\n

\u201cYet, there are a few that are either now operational, under construction or planned, most replacing classes that disappeared a long time ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone on the GWSR is absolutely thrilled that we have not one, not two, but three newly-built locomotives visiting our railway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is shaping up to be one of the best-ever Cotswold Festival of Steam events and not to be missed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is also the first time that three new-build locomotives have been seen together in preservation.\u201d <\/p>\n

The festival runs between Saturday and bank holiday Monday.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newly-built steam locomotive No. 6880 Betton Grange will be used for passenger services for the first time this weekend. Credit: Mile Lanning\/Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":52870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,387,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-british-railways","category-scotlands-railway","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t