It’s a wrap!  Double decker bus features giant steam trains

On Tuesday 29 June, a couple of the largest images of steam trains on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) were revealed – on a bus.

That’s because Marchants, the 70-year-old Cheltenham based family coach and travel firm, has agreed to ‘wrap’ one of its double-deck buses with images advertising the GWSR’s train services.  The popular heritage railway, which operates between Cheltenham and Broadway, is emerging from Covid restrictions and is expected to return to normal operation from 20^th July.

Image by Jack Boskett

The dramatic bus-wrap which features a train crossing the spectacular Stanway Viaduct on the sides, and an almost life-sized head-on image of a locomotive on the back, will be seen in and around Cheltenham over the coming months.

Roger Marchant, Marchants Managing Director, commented: “This is a really exciting opportunity for us and for the railway.  It’s the first time that we have featured a full ‘wrap’ on an entire bus – it’s certainly going to be a striking advertisement for the railway!

“It has been such a pleasure dealing with the GWSR.  They were kind enough to help us out during the first lockdown when the Covid crisis really began to bite and we had to relocate one of our depots at short notice.  The railway kindly allowed us to store some of our vehicles at Toddington.

“We were delighted to offer some of our bus backs for GWSR advertisements and now the idea has developed into this ambitious bus wrap.  I even managed to specially re-register the vehicle to V21 GWR!”

The bus is a Volvo B7 Alexander ALX 400 which worked in London before being acquired by Marchants.  “It’s an excellent and reliable vehicle,” added Roger Marchant, who took over management of the 73-year old family business from his father.  “We will be using it on a number of school routes as well as special contract work.  The railway is at liberty to use the vehicle on special occasions, too!”

The pictures were taken by Jack Boskett, a Tewkesbury-based professional photographer and volunteer on the GWSR.  He said: “My images have never been enlarged to this kind of size before – and have certainly never been on a bus!  It’s a unique opportunity and I’m honoured to have been asked to supply pictures for the project.  I can’t wait to see bystanders’ reactions when they see this huge mobile billboard running around the local streets!”

For the volunteer-run railway, the bus is a bold statement that the GWSR is very much in business again after months of lockdown and restricted services that reflected the need for social distancing, reducing the capacity of the trains.

Richard Johnson, the volunteer Chairman of GWSR Plc, said: “To see the bus revealed with these huge images of our trains is breathtaking.  It will be seen by thousands of local people as well as visitors to the area.  It carries a very simple message: that we are operating and looking forward to welcoming people back to enjoy a steam train ride, as the railway at last returns to normal and especially as this year is our 40^th anniversary!

“It’s been a difficult time for the railway, for Marchants and for everyone.  I’m thrilled that Marchants were so keen to work with us to get this ‘first’ achieved for both parties. The Cotswolds is a popular ‘staycation’ destination and perhaps all the more so while overseas travel restrictions remain.  Putting pictures of our railway on a bus could hardly be a more dramatic message!” 

The GWSR has had a long and close relationship with Marchants.  Added Richard Johnson: “It’s a highly respected local company that we’re proud to be associated with.  This project has certainly cemented that relationship and we look forward to continuing to work with this important local family business in the future.”