Upcoming autumn galas are all set to be Standard affairs
AS the autumn gala season approaches, the line-up on at least two railways will have a decidedly Standard flavour.
The Great Central Railway’s September 29 to October 2 event will see BR Standard classes 2MT and 5MT in operation.
It is hoped that the weekend will mark the return to service of BR 2-6-0 Class 2MT No. 78019 after completing its most recent overhaul, potentially presenting an opportunity to see two BR 2MT tender locomotives operating together, with classmate No. 78018 also based on the line. Three 2-6-0 Class 2 tender locomotives, together with LMS Ivatt Class 2 No. 46521, is set to be running following its summer visit to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and also in its final gala appearance before it is withdrawn for its own overhaul.
Visiting Ivatt 2-6-2T No. 41312, which will be appearing courtesy of the Mid-Hants Railway and in the wake of its visit to the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton, was the precursor to the BR-built 2MT tank engines which were introduced between July 1953 and June 1957 that saw modifications to the Ivatt design, including a reduced cab and standardised fittings.
Also in operation will be resident Standard 9F No. 92214 and 4-6-0 5MT No. 73156, the latter having only just returned from appearing at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway gala the weekend before.
‘Best efforts’
In return for the hire of the 5MT, the NYMR will be sending resident J27 No. 65984 to Loughborough to join in the gala there, following a period out of traffic for boiler work that saw it miss its planned holiday on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. A KESR statement said: “We are sad to confirm that it has not been possible to arrange the planned visit by the J27 from the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group to the KESR this summer, following the discovery of a number of broken firebox stays in June.
“Despite the best efforts of the NELPG engineering team, the stay replacement and the necessary insurance and hydraulic steam tests could not be completed in time to allow for a long enough stay at the K&ESR to justify the considerable costs of transporting it to Kent before it is needed back on the NYMR for commitments in September.
“This has, of course, been a great disappointment to all parties – the NELPG trustees and its members, the management of the K&ESR, and, in particular, the KESR members who have raised crucial funds to enable the much-anticipated visit to take place.”
Both parties were hopeful that the visit of the locomotive to Kent can be rearranged for the summer of 2023.
Meanwhile, the GCR 5MT will continue its autumn tour with a visit to the Bluebell Railway for the October 14-16 Giants of Steam gala. This year, the railway is celebrating the contribution of Robert Riddles to postwar steam locomotion, namely overseeing the design on the BR Standard classes of locomotives.
No. 73156 will join the Bluebell’s resident 5MT, No. 73082 Camelot, presenting what may be the first working together of two BR Standard 5MTs in the heritage era. Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80151 is expected to be in service alongside Maunsell Q 0-6-0 No. 30541 and visiting WR 4-6-0 No. 6989 Wightwick Hall. As we went to press, an additional visiting locomotive was set to be announced.
Elsewhere, the first visitor announced for the West Somerset Railway’s September 29-October 2 gala is Stewart Robinson’s 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80078, which has never visited the line before.