Bubble Car Day

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We are delighted to announce that a 1960s Bubblecar has recently arrived on loan from Locomotive Services Limited. The vehicle allows passengers excellent panoramic views - you can sit right behind the driver and get a totally different perspective on our rural branch line. W55034 is a Class 121 built in 1961, just two years after our line closed to passenger services. She spent 8 years based at Reading in the 70s and 80s, so is certainly no stranger to Cholsey and the Thames Valley. The Wallingford branch service was steam worked right until the end, but if it had survived a bit longer then these are the type of units that would have been used. These trains were regulars on the Henley, Marlow, Windsor and Greenford branch lines until the early 1990s when the Thames Turbos replaced them. W55034 would have been seen on mainline services through Cholsey as it could be coupled together with other units to form longer trains, hence the term DMU – diesel multiple unit. We have lots of exciting plans for W55034 over the coming months, do come for a ride. Confirmed dates for 2025 so far: Saturday 10th May, Sunday 11th May and Sunday 14th September. More dates to follow.

Timetable

Trains will run from Wallingford on the hour from 1100 until 1600.

Dates

10 May 2025

11 May 2025

14 September 2025

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