Cheltenham Spa Express

The Cheltenham Spa Express is a British named passenger service from London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa, via Reading, Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester. During the 1930s, when operated by the Great Western Railway, the service was more popularly known as the Cheltenham Flyer.

It was claimed by the Great Western Railway at the time to be the world's fastest train. It ran the 77 miles from London Paddington to Cheltenham in 65 minutes, at a top speed of 80 miles per hour. It used the GWR 4073 Class (also called Castle Class) 4-6-0 engines designed by Charles Collett.

The "Cheltenham Spa Express" name was first used in 1923. During the 1930s, at the peak of rivalry between the railway companies for the fastest speed record, the "Cheltenham Flyer" name became popular, although it was never adopted officially.

The Great Western Railway's successor, British Rail, continued to use the "Cheltenham Spa Express" brand until the 1960s, when it fell out of use. It was reintroduced in 1984, and continues to be used by First Great Western. As of 2006, the "Cheltenham Spa Express" forms the 12:48 departure from Paddington (arriving in Cheltenham at 15:02), and the 15:29 departure from Cheltenham (arriving in London at 17:38).

References

• The Cheltenham Flyer Mike's Railway History
• First Great Western