- Depot open day raises thousands for charity
Over 7,000 attended Saturday’s Old Oak Common open day, OOC:111 Legends of the Great Western, helping to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
The open day on Saturday 2 September saw a unique collection of trains and locomotives, both old and new. The centrepiece line-up of traction which spanned all 111 years of the depot and made the Great Western ‘God’s Wonderful Railway’ included:
- King Edward II – King Class locomotive 6023
- Formarke Hall – Hall Class locomotive 7903
- Greyhound – Warship Class locomotive D821
- Western Champion – Western Class locomotive D1015
- Ark Royal – Class 50 locomotive 50 035
- Sir Kenneth Grange – Class 43 locomotive 43 002
- Class 180 train 180 XXX
- Queen Elizabeth II/Queen Victoria – Class 800 Intercity Express Train 800 003
It is 111 years since Old Oak Common opened on 17 March 1906, and the open day celebrated its contribution to maintaining the Legends of the Great Western.
During its 111-year history, the depot and its dedicated, highly skilled staff have maintained everything from the Kings and Castles of the steam era, to the diesel-powered Westerns and Warships.
In 1976 the depot was the maintenance hub in the Western region for the newly introduced High Speeds Trains, the iconic trains which changed the face of Intercity travel in the UK.
While the HST fleet still operates today it is soon to be replaced after over 40 years of service by the new Hitachi Intercity Express Train, which will provide another step change in passenger experience when they begin passenger services later this year.
All profits from the day will go to the depot’s chosen charity Place2Be, which provides mental health support for children in schools and whose patron is HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. While it is too early to confirm the amount raised, we can reveal that it is thousands of pounds.
In May 2016 GWR’s St Philips Marsh depot raised over £20,000 for charity with a celebration of 40 years of the High Speed Train.