Welcome to the Growler Group website

Registered charity number 702237

NEWS HEADLINES (see 'Latest News' for more)

26.07.10 - GWR roster amended for wc 26.07.10.
23.07.10 - Enhanced GWR diesel roster updated with remainder of July and all of August. Full details of locos and diagrams to be used used on all GWR services here.
23.07.10 - 37215 returns to service following fitment of modern electronic AVR. More on News page.
28.04.10 - Major landslip closes GWR south of Gotherington. Revised red & blue timetables include diesel operation. See 37 roster for details of many additional 37 workings.
21.04.10 - Class 37 Anniversary Badge. To mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the class 37 in 1960, the Group has produced a commemorative badge.

The Growler Group was formed in 1986 and are the proud owners of English Electric Type 3, Class 37 locomotive, 37215 (D6915) and custodians of privately owned 37248 (D6948). 37215 is based at Toddington on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and 37248, formerly on hire to the West Coast Railway Company, is currently visiting Toddington until the end of 2010.

(Above right: 37248 leads 37712 on the 1Z56 06:00 Sheffield-Edinburgh across Arten Gill viaduct on 27.09.08
Photo: Mark Lawrence)

37215 has recently been repainted to a very high standard in British Rail blue livery as worn by the class during the 1970s and early 1980s, whilst 37248 carries the maroon livery of the West Coast Railway Company, and following overhaul, will be restored to late 1960s/early 1970s condition in green livery with full yellow ends.

The locomotives were part of a class of mixed traffic locos introduced between 1960 and 1965 eventually totalling 309 in number, a small number of which are still at work for various companies on Network Rail today. Each loco is fitted with a single 1,750hp (1,305kW) diesel engine, which was classed as Type 3 under the original British Railways power classification. In the early 1970’s they were reclassified Class 37 under British Rail’s computer-based TOPS classification system.

37215 was bought from BR in 1994 and, after four long years of hard work by a small band of dedicated volunteers, was returned to service on the GWR in 1998. 37248 was purchased by three Growler Group committee members in 2004 under the banner 'Type Three Traction' and was restored to operational condition by the West Coast Railway Company at their Carnforth base as part of a loan agreement.

On our website you can find out about the history of our locomotives, learn about their planned workings on the GWR and GCR(N), view the photographic gallery, download membership forms for the Group, take a browse through our sales items and lots more.