People who would like to record a permanent connection to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway' (GWSR)' iconic Stanway Viaduct may do so by buying a plaque with their chosen wording, to be fixed to on the viaduct's parapets.
Engineers who worked to stabilise the viaduct over the last year incorporated two hundred and forty stainless steel plates on which to place Commemorative Plaques.
Individuals, organisations or companies may now pay for a message of their choice to be engraved on a plaque, which will then be attached to a plate.
The Railway raised one-and-a-half million pounds to fund the stabilisation work, which was completed last month despite hitches along the way.
The Cotswold based railway is sponsoring one of the plaques, to mark the re-opening of the line to Broadway.
The plaques are weather resistant, and the engraved words will be in white on a blue background.
The Railway anticipates that messages will include remembrances of loved ones; significant dates or events; or recognition of a person's contribution to the railway.
GWSR also points out that a four-line poem can also fit on a plaque, noting that this length of poem is “appropriately” known as a quatrain.
To buy a plaque, you will need to make a donation of at least £250, which will help towards the cost of maintaining, repairing, renewing and operating the railway's infrastructure.
You will receive a signed certificate incorporating your message, and a duplicate of the plaque.
The process of selling the plaques is being managed by volunteers as far as possible. The first batch of sixty plates is being released now and is open to the first sixty qualifying donations.
The application process is straightforward, with details available on the GWSR website.
The story of Stanway
Stanway Viaduct dates back to 1903-4, when it was built for the Great Western Railway. It is located just north of Toddington station, which stood on the new double-track main line between Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham via Honeybourne.
It is the most significant structure on the GWSR, and is one of the largest viaducts on a heritage railway. The viaduct comprises fifteen brick arches, is two hundred metres long and more than twelve metres high.
The line provided a direct service between the industrial West Midlands and popular holiday destinations in Devon and Cornwall, but it closed in 1976 and the track was removed in 1979/80.
When the newly-formed Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway took over Toddington station yard in 1982, it began rebuilding the line towards Cheltenham.
Work to lay track on the Stanway Viaduct began in 2005 and the line re-opened all the way to Broadway on Good Friday, 30 March 2018.
“Following the successful completion of Phase One of the viaduct work, I am delighted that we are able to offer these plaques for people to have a permanent acknowledgement on our railway. The donations will support the valuable on-going work to sustain our railway.”
Richard Johnson, GWSR PLC Chairman
Work on the viaduct is not finished! The brickwork now has to be repointed, which requires more funding