GWR opens the doors at Old Oak Common

A celebratory open day at Old Oak Common on September 2 was attended by 9,000 visitors, with all funds raised donated to charity.

Highlights of the OOC111 event included a line-up of ‘Legends of the Great Western’ featuring steam and diesel of the Great Western's past and present, while an Intercity Express Programme Class 800/0 offered a glimpse of the future. Elsewhere on site, six Class 50s were also lined-up.

The event featured the naming of GWR 43093 Old Oak Common HST Depot 1976-2018 while GWR 180104 was unveiled in a livery marking the history of the Great Western, while also carrying logos for the Place2Be charity, which will benefit from the event.

Examples of GWR’s current diesel fleet were displayed including Class 08, ‘43’, ‘57’ and ‘180’ while the nearby HST depot was also still in service, meaning visitors were able to see other HSTs as well as Class 165, ‘166’ and ‘180’ passing.

Hitachi Rail Europe supplied 800003 Queen Elizabeth II/Queen Victoria, which offered a glimpse into the future for visitors, with the ‘800s’ due to enter traffic next month.

• RAIL 835 features a full round-up of the event. More images will be available on our website and digitial editions. It is published on September 13.