YOU wait a year and then up to 48 all turn up at once – but this is for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Stream Railway’s 11th annual bus rally, at Toddington station on Sunday 8th July.

This popular event is set to be a colourful occasion with a wide variety of operator liveries, most now long consigned to distant memory.

Austen Shapcott, one of the organising team, said: “We simply couldn’t take any more in the space we have at Toddington – in fact we would have to turn away any late applicants.

“So this will be our biggest ever event – if we had the space it would be even bigger.

“It’s not just a great day for bus owners, it’s a chance for visitors to enjoy the delightful combination of steam trains and beautifully restored classic buses with plenty of opportunity to ride on several of them.

“The Bus Rally is a firm fixture in the railway’s calendar, attracting buses of every shape, type and age from across the UK; two having travelled over 150 miles to join us.”

The buses range in age from 1932 (a Daimler with Metropolitan Camel coachwork and appearing in Birmingham City Transport livery) right up to the early 2000s.

Mr Shapcott said: “A couple of my favourites are the diminutive Bedford OB built from late 1939 to the early 1950’s and as I’m a Londoner of course the Routemaster and Green Line vehicles."

During the day there will be plenty of trips to Broadway, some taking in Broadway village others stopping close to the brand-new Broadway station, which opened at Easter.

“Around 20 of our visiting buses will be taking part in the shuttle services to Broadway, by slightly differing routes from the last 8-years, so there will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy the delight of riding on some very rare vehicles.

“The trips are free, although the bus owners will naturally welcome contributions towards the cost of fuel!

“I’d like to add my thanks to the huge number of volunteers to help to make this and other events on the railway such a success.”